Being An American Mom

School Choice Week

2012-01-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

I may have blogged about this last year. It's here again. It's School Choice Week.

As my kids get older and closer to attending school (Tyler is in preschool now), education is more and important to me. While I believe there are many good public school teachers our there, I do not think our public schools are up the standards they should be anymore. I think they have so many goals and requirements that the education piece of each individual child seems to fall by the wayside.

So I am very much for school choice. Choice as in private, public, homeschool, whatever. Different things work for different families and children. At least we can start having the conversation about what is working and what isn't in our schools (both public and private)... and then we can start changing and fixing. At least, that is my view. Check out the website for more information and share if you are so inclined.

Fifteen Weeks

2012-01-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, given the size of my expanding waist line, the cat is out of the bag.

I'm pregnant! I am 15 weeks (almost 16 now). Baby #3 is due in July. We are thrilled and excited and nervous. THREE kids? (yes this was planned... clearly we are both losing it!)

No actually we are excited because I think it will be so fun for the kids to have multiple siblings. I think they will have fun and we will have fun. I can't wait to see my three kids grow up together. It's going to be a blast.

So there you have it. Not a great excuse for being a slacker on the blogging, but it's something. In terms of symptoms I did have some nausea in the first trimester early on, but it faded after 4-5 weeks for the most part. At this point, I'm mostly dealing with the usual low back pain (although it seems early for that), tiredness, and already feeling somewhat big. I'm definitely growing faster with this baby (as is typical) than with the previous two pregnancies. So far my blood work and checkups all look healthy so hopefully it continues that way.

I will keep you posted as things progress. I hope to post my weekly photo and updates but we will see.

Here I am, preggers.

Two Excellent Reads

2012-01-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to get a small stack of books at Christmas, along with some movies. I love reading!

Amazingly, I read two books concurrently and just finished both. To be fair, they were easy reads and I was fascinated by the subjects (completely different). I wanted to share because I think they are both so important.

First... A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille.

As you know, Tyler started preschool 2 days a week. Real school is imminent. I am deeply concerned about the state of our public school system and what our kids are actually learning versus what they are learning how to regurgitate for standardized tests to get them through twelfth grade. So when I came across this book, I was interested. I have always said that George Washington and Ben Franklin and basically any founding father didn't have 90% of the advantages we have today (if you can call them that) and look at how brilliant and wise and knowledgeable they were. And look at what they did (started the most free, prosperous country in the world, ever). So how do we give our children a fair shake at real learning and wisdom? The approach this book takes is basically: read the classics. The main message is that children need a mentor, not an teacher in the way we think of it. They need very personalized instruction from a mentor who can discuss deeply, and at length, a variety of topics and subjects, mostly based on classics from history. If we do not study and learn from history, how can we produce statesmen (and women), leaders, and true thinkers? The author goes into much more depth on the topic, and also provides some awesome lists of classics for children and adults to read in the appendix.

It's a great message and very inspiring. To really educate your children in this way, you'd really have to be dedicated. It would require homeschooling or a very specialized private school. There are some exceptional teachers in the public school system, and they could certainly do it too, but in general they are the exception rather than the rule.

So anyway... I came away inspired. My first action item is to start reading more classics myself. I've been wanting to do this, and now I have more motivation. We will also start incorporating child-level classics into our daily reading with Tyler and Travis. I'm excited.

Second... In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan.

As I've explored some new blogs over the past year, two have stood out to me, Word of Wisdom Living and 100 Days of Real Food. Both espouse the benefits of eating whole, natural, simple foods. Cutting out most processed (or all) foods, cooking real meals, enjoying food more, and preserving your health by doing these things. Both blogs pointed me toward this book. I finished it in a week or so. It's absolutely worth your time. If you value your health and that of your children (for those of you with little ones). It basically confirms what I've thought for awhile... less is more when it comes to food. Vegetables (leafy) should be a main source of our food. Meat is good too, especially wild and/or 100% grass fed, but in lesser quantities than we eat now. It dispels a lot of the myths we have bought into for years about cholesterol, low-fat foods, calories, and the whole ideology of nutritionism. I do sense a bit of an anti-corporate slant to his writings, but I think the overall message of the book is sound. Humans aren't meant to eat food made in factories. We aren't meant to eat food that was shipped hundreds or thousands of miles. It isn't good for us and the overall health of America is proof. He gives tips for how to choose whole foods and include them in your diet. My husband is going to read this book next and I think we will be making some changes soon. This doesn't mean we will never eat chocolate cake or enjoy a hot dog again, but I hope to scale back on our processed foods. It will mean more cooking for me, and probably more money spent on groceries (particularly the high quality meats) but I think it is worth it. We can cut back in other areas. I will share updates and/or recipes as I have them.

Go check out these books, they really are inspiring.

I Remembered!

2012-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

I told you I had another 2012 goal and it came to me today... this one is a bit more concrete:

3. Work on photo organization/albums one time per month. My idea is to sit down for a couple hours at the beginning of each month and review all the photos we took from the previous month. Then I will choose up to 30 to be put into either an online photo book that will be printed, or perhaps get them printed at Costco and put into a regular album. I haven't decided. Honestly just sorting them once a month will be such a huge improvement that how I arrange them in a book after that seems like a minor detail.

Wish me luck! I think my three goals are pretty doable and I feel good about them.

Happy new year (again)!

2012!

2012-01-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

It's new year's day. I'm excited! I've also been extremely productive today, which is a refreshing change of pace. I cleaned out all of our office files, for one thing. Awesome!

Currently I'm eating yellow cake with chocolate frosting and watching Overboard, a gift from my husband for Christmas.

As I attempt to catch up on blogging and reading blogs while eating cake, I'm reminded of goals and resolutions because many people are writing about them. Last year I had a pretty detailed list of resolutions. To be honest, I forgot about half of them. But the good news is that I actually did some of them.

Do you make annual resolutions? I think of mine as goals more than resolutions. For now, I have two for 2012. I had three in my head and I can't remember the third. Lovely. I'll post again on this topic if I remember it. In the meantime...

1. Focus on the positive. I am by nature a pretty critical person. It is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand I can usually figure out the best way to do a lot of different things and can really get caught up in details to make something good because I see the flaws from the get-go. On the other, I tend to pick things and people apart, which is definitely not good. So I thought an appropriate goal would be for me to start focusing on the positive in any situation: life, friends, family, home, whatever situation I'm in. This goal may be a baby-step type of thing because I don't see myself doing a 180 in the personality department but I'm going to try. Trying is good. See? I'm already getting better.

2. Be a good listener. I tend to interrupt people when they are speaking. I know many of us do this, but I really don't like it when people do it to me, and I also appreciate when a friend will just listen and allow me to finish my thoughts. So I am going to try harder to be the good listener instead of the person who interrupts to share their thoughts or story. Obnoxious!

So there you have it. It's a new year (and election year, yesss), our family is beyond great, we had a lovely Christmas, and we're all healthy. 2012 is looking good so far. I love it!

Pots and Pans

2011-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

We're starting a band. It's called the Pots and Pans Band.

No not really. But if I wanted to, I'm pretty sure my kids would both kick ass in it.

I got an early Christmas gift today. These are such a treat (thanks hon!)! All Clad sauce pans! Our old trusty Kirkland nonstick pans are starting to lose their inner coating. No bueno for cooking so I knew it was time. I worked at Williams Sonoma in a previous life (i.e., before kids) and I know how good All Clad is. So we took the plunge and made the investment. At these prices, these babies had better last about 20 years. I am so excited though! Now please don't let me burn all my food in them.

I will say that even though they are really expensive, I feel like I got such a good deal! First, Metro Kitchen ~~was~~ is having 25% off all All Clad, which is pretty unheard of for All Clad (especially for open stock pieces). Then, I decided to buy all three at the same time and the total allowed me to get the free gift of an All Clad lasagna pan. Holy cow! Finally, and not least, I got free shipping and NO sales tax. How can you beat this?

Wish me luck with my new cookware!

You know it's special when your pot comes in a satin bag.

My 3 qt.

Happy helper.

When Travis saw the boxes opened, he went and got his fork!

"Free" gift when you place a minimum order.

The best part! Boys played for 30 minutes in the box and had a blast.

Hair Cut

2011-12-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

My baby boy got his first hair cut today. He did so well, I was so proud! We had quite a few bad haircut experiences with Tyler, so I was prepared for the worst. But he sat there and happily played in the convertible car seat (as in a mini Porsche seat) and watched Elmo on the TV while she snipped and clipped.

Even though he is almost 18 months, he's still my baby boy. Or big baby, as I call him.

You look so handsome Travis!

Just getting started... look at all that hair!

This better look good, Mommy.

Nevermind the little scab under his nose.

All done!

Old Fashioned Lunch

2011-11-30T20:56:00.001-08:00

Lunch is served

My great grandmother had a standard lunch she served for years and years. Mind you, she was born in Arkansas in 1893 and passed away at 104, so she served this lunch to several generations. We were at the grocery store today and for some reason I decided this is what we were going to have for lunch. It was a success! Me and the boys scarfed it down.

Here's the breakdown of her basic but yummy lunch:

Tuna sandwich

Lays potato chips

Coke

I remember having this lunch many times when visiting Nana as a kid. So does my mom. And so does my grandma. Pretty neat.

My updated version included tuna (w/ mayo and dill relish) on whole wheat bread (hers was on white bread, of course!), Lays barbecue potato chips, a pickle, and caffeine-free diet Coke.

Yummm! Sometimes less really is more. I'm not sure this is the healthiest of lunches, but it was tasty and reminded me of Nana.

Parental Rights

2011-11-29T13:15:00.001-08:00

I just received an update from a group that is doing important work, Parental Rights.org. They have put together a video on how parents across America are losing their rights to raise their children as they see fit, little by little. I personally feel that the best person to make decisions for a child is their mother or father. That means health care, clothing, diet, exercise, hobbies, interests, religion, whatever. If you pay attention to the news, there are so many stories of parents' views being overruled by school districts and courts. It's a bit scary.

Hopefully this video will go viral. Take the time to watch it, I am.

Normal

2011-11-28T19:50:00.001-08:00

This is normal right.

I promise he doesn't sleep in our bed everyday. I usually make the bed. And he is usually downstairs. We bent the rules today and here is what you get. Dog in bed. At least it's my husband's side.

Oh Tucker.

Life for Kids

2011-11-27T19:37:00.001-08:00

My grandma forwarded me this the other day that I thought would be fun to share. I don't know the source or author. You may have seen it already. Kinda funny and kinda true, all at the same time!

We are getting back into the swing of normal life tomorrow after our nice Thanksgiving weekend. I am planning a block party (holy cow) for our neighborhood for next weekend and am just praying people come!

Enjoy...

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill; only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers no Internet and no chat rooms.

We had friends and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! When we got in trouble in school, our parents sided with the school. It was double trouble.

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all..

If you are one of us, congratulations!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it? Or at least eat a big bowl of real ice cream, not the low-fat variety...

Black Friday

2011-11-26T14:02:00.001-08:00

Of course today is Saturday, but I think we're all still recovering from the Black Friday over-satuation in the media, on the internet, and in the catalogs we received. I just can't believe the Black Friday craziness that occurs these days! When I was younger (and childless) I would occasionally go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving (as it used to be called) but not at 4am. More like 10am! And just to go shopping, not to buy a coffeemaker for $1.50.

But now it seems like Black Friday is this huge thing. Does anyone else feel like it overshadows Thanksgiving a bit? That is kind of a bummer. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the whole year. Lots of great food and time with friends and family, and a chance to reflect on the things that we are important to us and to give thanks. Very simple. But now all week leading up to Thanksgiving we were ~~overwhelmed~~ dazzled with ads for the amazing deals to be had on Black Friday, some stores opening late on Thanksgiving night. I'm sorry but you are crazy if you are leaving your warm home and bed to go shopping after you just finished a huge meal with your family! I suppose to each their own but I don't get it. From watching the news and reports on how Black Friday went down, I get the sense that a lot of the shoppers were maybe buying things they couldn't afford in the first place. My theory is that if you need to buy it at 75% off, how much other stuff are you buying where you need these crazy deep discounts? Maybe if you were buying less overall, you wouldn't need to get up at 2 in the morning and go shopping.

I realize some people really love the thrill and excitement of the shopping and super deals, but it's not for me. Give me cyber Monday, or really, any other shopping day, any day. You can keep Black Friday!

Thankful

2011-11-25T21:50:00.001-08:00

Ah, I missed another day yesterday. But hey, it was Thanksgiving.

How was yours? Ours was very low key. My favorite! We went to my mother-in-law's house for the usual turkey dinner. She made the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. I brought cheese and crackers, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. It was just the four of us and her but that was plenty! Tyler and Travis were a little wild while we were there but we all had a nice time and were even able to watch the 49ers lose to the Ravens (boo).

I will share some pics soon, I've been lazy about uploading to this computer.

I hope you had a very nice Thanksgiving. Once again I am reminded how lucky and blessed we are. Happy and healthy. What else is there?

Fortunes and Thanks

2011-11-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

I am so lucky. We are going to my mother-in-law's for dinner tomorrow night and I opted not to cook tonight either. My lovely husband went and picked up PF Chang's for dinner for us tonight. Yummm. Talk about hitting the spot. We opened our fortune cookies at the end. Tyler cracked his open and "read" the fortune. I asked him what it said and he told me, "Mommy, I love you.". Awwwww. Can you believe my sweet boy? You can bet he got a big hug and smooch for that one.

I hope you and your family and friends have a lovely and bountiful Thanksgiving tomorrow. As I mentioned, we are spending it with Scott's mom which will be really nice. Unfortunately we will not see my parents but they will be here for Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Raisins

2011-11-22T13:27:00.001-08:00

WARNING: If you have a one year old child, do not give him or her raisins.

Why, you ask. Or if you are smart, you're not asking why. I will share my brief story with as few details as possible.

In the past two days, Travis discovered the raisins in our pantry. I was a little concerned about him being able to chew and swallow them so I'd give him only 3 or 4 at a time. He hasn't actually eaten that many. Apparently it was enough.

We decided to go to Red Robin for lunch today with Scott since work is slow for him before the holiday. We are sitting at the table waiting for our food when I pick up a strange scent. I'm not going to go any further with details. Let's just say that our sweet little Travis had a blowout of epic proportions. Thankfully the last time I saw one like this (and only time) was on our Yosemite trip with baby Tyler in 2009.

Holy cow. Epic. Not good. As in, get the food to go and take off the baby's clothes in the back of the car. I'll be doing some really fun laundry later too.

Lesson learned - no dried fruit whatsoever for my babies!

Preschool!

2011-11-21T20:20:00.001-08:00

Oh my gosh, well, Tyler may be starting preschool in less than two weeks. We were on the wait list for the second session of our city's preschool and got the call that we can register until Wednesday. I think we are going to do it. It's near our house, we have heard good things, it is play-based, which I really like, and the price is right. Only drawback is that his session is in the afternoon. Boo. This should be interesting.

But all of a sudden I'm freaking out with all of the things we need to do to prepare. Paperwork. Name tags. Snack sack. Supplies. Family photo. The list goes on. Ahhhh!

Breathe... and oh yeah, my big boy is starting school. Whaaattt!

Lazy Weekend

2011-11-20T20:18:00.001-08:00

Boys and their instruments!

How was your weekend? Fun? Productive? Exciting? Relaxing? Mine was really only the last one. It's been cool and rainy all weekend. I've been suffering from major no-energy-itis. Or maybe it's lack of motivation. Call it what you want. Unfortunately Scott woke up this morning feeling under the weather. I think he has a cold. So we really laid low today. In fact, I never left the house. Awesomeness!

Yesterday I did actually leave the house. In fact we made it to the zoo. So there you go. It is sort of our "local" zoo and the perfect size to cover in an hour or two. Last night I watched my baby niece while my brother-in-law and his wife caught a movie. Of course by watching, I mean that I just watched the video monitor. They put her to bed before I got there so that was easy!

Tyler and Scott had an impromptu jam session today, which is captured above. As usual, Travis had to be a part of the action. Overall, it was a good, very low key weekend. Not maybe our most productive or exciting, but we'll leave that for another time.

Mom and Dad

2011-11-19T20:22:00.001-08:00

Our THREE year old Tyler has decided we're now "Mom" and "Dad". Whaaa?? How did this happen? He didn't officially announce our new names but he has been using them for about a month. I really only hear "Mommy" when he is upset or kissing up to me.

How did this happen? There are no older siblings to coerce him. He watches almost no adult or kid television where they'd be using these titles.

I'm just going to hope it's a phase and he's back to Mommy and Daddy soon. Those are so much sweeter. Just because he's the oldest doesn't mean he isn't still my baby!

Oven Mitt

2011-11-18T17:26:00.001-08:00

This is what we call the "budgie" face. Here is Travis getting ready to help get a hot dish of chicken out of the oven this week. When the timer for the oven goes off, he races to our hot pad drawer and grabs an oven mitt. I must have told him to stand back and this is the face he gave me. (For the record, NO he doesn't help with any hot items from the oven!)

Love this expression. So Travis.

Have a great weekend! It is raining here. Feels like Fall!

Overboard

2011-11-17T13:36:00.001-08:00

For some reason the movie Overboard popped into my head the other day. So I rented it on iTunes Movies (love our Apple TV) yesterday and am now watching it again today. Yeah I'm posting about movies two days in a row. Shows how much I get out.

But really, I would say this may be a top 10 or 20 movie for me. Weird, I know. Made in 1987 I believe. Takes place in Oregon. Featuring a somewhat white trash family who takes in a "rich b*tch" and makes her work off money she owes the carpenter dad. But of course they fall in love.

It's a riches to rags to riches story and I just think it is so darn cute! I think my favorite part might be where Kurt Russell's character Dean Profitt walks in from his night job (shoveling fish guts) and sees the difference Annie has made in the house. It's basically a dump of a house, but she's turned it into a home. Floors are swept. Refrigerator is stocked. Kitchen is clean. It's a sweet scene.

So yeah it's a bit of an oddball but I think the story is so cute. And entertaining. And frankly, Kurt Russell is pretty easy on the eyes in this movie.

What oddball movie do you love?

The Wisdom of Wall-E

2011-11-16T13:16:00.001-08:00

Have you seen the movie Wall-E? It's an animated Pixar film about a little robot who lives on an Earth destroyed by humans (about 700 years from now) and how he has an exciting adventure with another robot named EVA. Ok, that is the short version.

The long version is that it is a very sweet, touching, and poignant film that makes some huge commentary on how we live. Honestly, it is one of my favorite "kids" movies that we own. I am always trying to coerce Tyler into picking Wall-E when he wants to watch a movie. (shameless, I know).

What can I say, the movie gets to me. Earth is basically destroyed by humans. Centuries of pollution have created a world that is uninhabitable for humans. The humans escaped to huge spaceships to live until the robots cleaned up Earth and it was safe for them to return. And finally, after 700+ years, a plant sprouts in the ground. Wall-E finds it and presents it to EVA, who takes it to the humans. The humans now know they can return "home" to begin life over again.

They start over. Farming, ranching, building things by hand, but with assistance from the robots (remember it's the year 2800 or something like that). As I sit here typing this, I'm reflecting on why the movie hits me so much. I can't quite put my finger on it, except that I feel we are headed in this direction. Eventually. I am no crazy environmentalist. While I believe it is everyone's responsibility to clean up after themselves, minimize pollution and waste, and generally just be conscientious, I also believe that as humans, we still need to be able to live as humans. We are highest on the food chain. We are the most intelligent species on Earth. But there must be a balance, right. Between our needs and looking out for the needs of the things around us (plants, animals, earth).

But anyway, I get wrapped up in the movie. I love seeing how the shapeless, blob humans realize there is more to life than watching the screens in front of their face, sucking their meals out of sippy cups, and playing virtual games with one another. They realize they can move, and relate, and laugh, and dance. The captain of the ship finds curiosity about Earth that he never realized he had until the idea of returning to Earth is presented by EVA with the plant. He talks to the children about the beautiful simplicity of putting a plant in the earth, giving it some water, and watching it grow all by itself (no robots required).

I guess I just feel like the movie touches on something that I firmly believe but struggle with like so many of us. There really is beauty and meaning in the simplest of actions. Dancing, talking to another person, reading, gardening, building things, what have you. It doesn't always have to be sparkling lights and flashing screens. Of course we all know this. But I always feel the pull of "more" in the way most of us live, and it bothers me. Maybe that is why the movie touches a nerve. It shows how after centuries of humans having more, it finally went too far. And then they came full circle and found that less can really be so much better.

Thanks Wall-E! And Pixar. I turned a simple little animated movie into the meaning of life. Leave it to me!

Visit #1

2011-11-15T14:30:00.001-08:00

Oops, I missed a post yesterday in my quest to post everyday in November. Darn!

In unrelated news... we just visited the first preschool on our short list with Tyler and Travis. We got to observe the class and Tyler was able to participate in some different stations and crafts. He seemed to have a really good time. The preschool is run by our city and is located at a nearby park in portable buildings (they will be building permanent community center/preschool in 4 years). Overall my impression was good. Unfortunately they were understaffed today because their two parent volunteers weren't there, but the ratio still wasn't bad given that. There were two teachers and about 14 kids.

I think we will look at 1-2 other preschools before we make any decisions but it was nice to get started. I can't believe our original baby is getting ready for preschool. And yes I think he is ready. He talks about preschool a lot. He asks about the elementary school down the street. And the teacher commented that she thought he did great and had a good time. All good signs.

Wish us luck in our continuing preschool journey. My heart was pounding when we walked in and I don't think that feeling is over.

Weekend

2011-11-13T19:33:00.001-08:00

It's Sunday evening. The kids are in bed. Fire is in the fireplace. Iron Chef America is on (the Fonz is judging!).

Boy we had a productive weekend. Laundry, house cleaning (including my least favorite: mopping), we bought some guns, went out to lunch during our day date, put up Christmas lights in the backyard, meals, nap times, bed times, baths, all the usual stuff. Ok, maybe the guns aren't usual. But you get my drift. Nice. The weather here was lovely. I made a couple yummy recipes, which I'll share below.

It is nice to have a little downtime before the craziness of the holidays begins (um hello in a week and a half).

Here's the recipes.

Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

Italian Pasta & Bean Soup

Rain Boots

2011-11-12T13:38:00.001-08:00

Two years ago, I had never heard of Hunter boots. Then, I heard of them, and was like who the heck would spend that kind of money for rubber rain boots?

Apparently me. I started thinking about them last winter and then as the rainy season has approached, I've realized we do get a fair amount of rain here every year. We don't get snow, but we get rain. So maybe it makes sense to have one good pair of rain shoes that I could easily keep for a long time. (Do you see the rationalization process occurring?)

So anyway, here I am. Rain boots ready. Bring on the rain! (Outdoors please).

Scrapers

2011-11-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

My future office.

What did you want to be when you were little? My aspirations changed over the years. The ones I remember are: professional dancer, construction worker, architect, fashion designer, teacher and truck driver. I really didn't come close to any of these and apparently that is weighing on me.

Down the street there is a TON of construction going on. As in, they mowed down hills and filled in small valleys to put in a new housing tract (nice). We've been watching the progress for months. There are dump trucks running up and down the streets just a couple blocks away (not in our neighborhood, but we can walk over there in 5-10 minutes). Loaders, scrapers, bulldozers, water trucks. It is a boy's paradise. When the weather was nicer, I'd take the boys on a tractor walk and we'd walk down the sidewalk in the double BOB and stare through the construction fencing as they literally moved the earth around to get the configuration they're going for.

And it has brought about a yearning to drive a tractor. Really. I swear, if I wasn't busy taking care of our house, raising two boys, (and blogging), maybe I'd become a heavy equipment operator. I think I'd love it and I'd be really good at it! Yesterday we watched a scraper slowly and methodically scrap away a ton of dirt (who knows, maybe it was literally a ton!), pick it up, and start driving away with it. I got goose bumps! I am such a machinery nerd. Maybe it's the Mechanical Systems 150 class in college I took.

Regardless, it has been fun to watch the machinery. Not as much fun to see open space mowed down, but that is a post for another time. Go tractors!

Christmas Gift Ideas

2011-11-10T19:40:00.001-08:00

My dad forwarded me an email today that I thought was worth sharing. I don't know about you, but I start my Christmas shopping pretty early. I hate to be the crazy lady that starts shopping in September, but yeah that was me. I just find it reduces stress. Even though I love the festive atmosphere of the holidays, I find them kind of stressful. So to minimize that I try to do things in advance. Shopping is one of them. And I really do try to put a lot of thought into gifts. Amazon wish lists are convenient, no doubt, but they take out some of the fun.

Anyway, int the spirit of thoughtful, here's the email. I'm not sure if this was quoted from an article or blog, or was just an email that got forwarded. I may steal some of these ideas for people that I'm still shopping for.

Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big national chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craigslist in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

Bad Influence

2011-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Fall is doing funny things to my appetite. As in, I keep having a hankering (yeah I said it) to make really unhealthy things like coffee cake, ginger cookies, enchiladas, Rice Krispy treats, and peanut butter blossoms. And frozen pizzas. I know, am I 400 pounds yet? Answer = no. My poor husband. We were doing pretty well with the healthy eating in August and September. And then October hit and I started baking again. And making basically whatever sounded good for dinner.

So I'm trying to do better with my meal planning this week. And resisting the sweets urge. That one may be a losing battle, but I'll try. This week's menu is going to be something along the lines of: crockpot shredded chicken sandwiches, vegetarian enchiladas, steaks + potatoes, and pasta bean soup. Not terrible, right?

Man, I've been posting about food a lot lately. Must get more creative, stat.

Do you find that you make less healthy foods during Fall and Winter?

If you have any healthy recipes you'd like to share that are oven or crockpot friendly, please share!

Bobcat

2011-11-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

There is a bobcat in my son's crib. He is thrashing around, squealing, kicking and generally having a full on party. Oh wait, the bobcat is my 16 month old Travis. And yeah, he's not napping because apparently he doesn't like this time change business. Well isn't that lovely! At least he woke up at a decent time this morning. Oh no wait, he woke up at 5:24am, which means I've been up since then too.

We usually don't have too much trouble adjusting to the time change, but apparently I've lost my touch. He's been in there for his "nap" for 30 minutes. Here's hoping the bobcat falls asleep sometime soon.

I can dream.

Sucky

2011-11-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just have sucky days, right. Today was one of those craptastic days for me, for reasons I don't feel like going into right now. Nothing is seriously wrong, just a bad day.

But on the bright side, the boys are both now in bed, there is a fire in the fireplace and I'm watching the last episode of Sex and the City on TV, which makes me cry every.single.time I watch it.

So I'm thankful for these little things. To make a sucky day slightly less sucky. And thankful for bigger things like my amazing husband, our beautiful boys, and our loving families.

Soup Night

2011-11-06T19:22:00.001-08:00

It has started raining here. Yay! Sadly for our waistlines I've felt like making lots of hearty (read: fattening) meals lately. We basically drank dinner this weekend (NOT as in vodka): Friday was White Bean Chicken Chili. Saturday was Amy's soups and chicken nachos. Today was the lovely broccoli soup in progress you see below (thank you PW). I miss grilling! And so do my jeans. But I am enjoying Fall and all the fun and food that comes with it.

Preschool

2011-11-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

One of my projects right now (besides Christmas shopping - holy cow!) is researching preschools for our big boy Tyler. It is definitely a bittersweet time for me. I'm having trouble with this one. I know he will be ready, and really I can probably use a bit of a break, but... the whole thing makes me anxious.

Anyway, I am looking into preschools around us. There are quite a few in our town, but they are on the other side of town, which is annoying. The two that are near us are a city preschool, which I think would be just fine, but is difficult to get into, and a very expensive Montessori preschool. So we are also going to look at some of the across-town options because a couple come highly recommended. I just wish they were closer. Given that we have another little guy who still naps, etc it seems like convenience is a key factor for us. And I have issues with driving long distances for things. I don't know what my problem is. Again, topic for another post.

Our first preschool visit is in two weeks, and we have another the first week of December. I am nervous about this whole process. It'll be ok right? He'll love it and have fun and learn and I will learn to deal with a new routine. And our checking account will make it through too, right?

Reassure me people!

Spinach

2011-11-04T22:40:00.001-07:00

Here is what I made for dinner the past two nights. A pile of spinach you ask? Actually yes. Transformed into sautéed garlic spinach, recipe courtesy of Ina Garten. So delicious! I had no idea I was a fan of sautéed spinach until I made this. It was actually the best spinach I've ever had! An "after" photo would have been good but I was too busy stuffing my face. Nice.

And yes, this is the caliber of post you get when I go to bed and then realize at 10:30 that I forgot to post today. This month may get ugly folks. You've been warned.

Good night!

Napa

2011-11-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary this past weekend. It was magical! My parents were generous enough to watch our boys for THREE nights so we could get away. Although Northern California is insane, one lovely benefit is that we are very close to some of the world's best wineries. So a short drive later, and we were in Napa. We stayed at Hotel Yountville (holy cow) and loved it. And turns out that Yountville (just north of Napa) is this crazy mecca of world-class restaurants so we ate at several while there. So yeah, basically we dined, we wined (at several restaurants), we swam, we read, and we slept. Bliss. Truly.

But telling the truth? Yeah, the second or third day we were already missing the boys. After three nights, we were ready to come home. But we did enjoy our time. It was a real treat.

And yeah, I'm a strange dichotomy of serious and super cheesy.

Our first winery! Trefethen. Before the purple teeth got too bad.

Duckhorn!

A super yummy ros-ay for our lunchtime picnic at V. Sattui.

Purple teeth in effect.

Our incredible room.

Yowza.

Massive bathtub in the foreground.

Anniversary dinner! We were on dessert at this point. One of the best meals ever!

November 2 Post

2011-11-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a hayseed
And a plow boy
I'm a farm kid
And a cowboy
I'm a roughneck
My daddy was a roughneck too...

Oh hey there. Yeah I'm not talking about me.

Anyone guess the song and artist?

Yes, Toby Ketih, Country Comes to Town. Have you ever had a song in your head for 5 or 6 days? Well this is the one in my head and it's been there since Thursday. In all honesty, it really could be a lot worse. I love Toby Keith and his deep voice is well... awesome. And it has a great tune (melody?).

We were driving to Napa when we listened to Toby and I started singing this song. And so here we are. Oh yeah we went to Napa! For the anniversary. Story for another post, but all in all it was an awesome trip and my parents are awesome for watching the boys while we got away!

Ok, back to humming my Toby Keith. Gosh I love this song!

NaBloPoMo

2011-11-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Rolls off the tongue, right? Apparently it's National Blog Posting Month. Getting into the spirit of things, and trying to flex my blogging muscles a bit, I joined the BlogHer list of bloggers that will be blogging everyday in the month of November. This should be interesting. If you know me, you know my blogging is sporadic. Sometimes 3 times a week, then maybe a week or two off. Regardless, it's good for me, right? Right!

Ok, let's do it!

Halloween

2011-10-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from Captain America and Iron Man!

We had an awesome time trick or treating. We took out our wagon which Travis stayed in (most of the time) and Tyler went up to the doors, rang the bell and said, "hi" and then "trick or treat!" and then "thank you".

Love our boys!

5 Years

2011-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 5th Anniversary to my one and only! I love you babe.

Why I'm A Republican

2011-10-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

NOTE: this is going to get political, people. For those of you that have read my blog for awhile, this may be familiar. For those that are newer, I haven't written much political stuff lately... I'm not sure why. I guess I felt like I was ranting and no one wanted to read it. For some reason today I decided I wanted to share why I am a Republican. Perhaps because it's Fall. Maybe because I've been observing the beginning of the 2012 election cycle. Either way... enjoy. Oh yeah, P.S. this is long!

I am a Republican because...

I believe that ultimately people are responsible for themselves. And for their children, when those children are young.
I believe in personal responsibility in a really profound way. Perhaps to a fault. If something is going wrong in my life, I usually look to myself for why it is happening.
I think the government should do what it was originally meant to do: provide defense and provide basic infrastructure. Perhaps to a limited degree also be involved in regulating international trade, and things of that nature. But that's it. Private industry can and would fill in the rest if given the opportunity.
I believe that humans ultimately are good and capable of so many good things.
I think there are a lot of really talented, brilliant people out there not living up to their potential.
I am a huge proponent of freedom. And I mean freedom to not only say whatever you want, believe whatever you want, carry a gun, and basically live your life any way you choose (without harming others), but also freedom to mess up your life if you so choose. We can't save everyone from doing harmful or bad things to themselves. It's just not possible.
I believe in hard, honest work. I think hard work can get you amazing places when you really want it to. When we look at amazing achievers of the last century or two, the one huge thing they have in common is lots of and lots of hard work. Not luck, or money, or status, but just plain old working very hard at something they believe in until they got to where they wanted to be.
I don't like it when other people tell me how to live my life or how to raise my children. Don't tell me what light bulbs are best, or when sex education for my children is appropriate. I am a fully functional, capable adult. Trust that I will make decisions that are best for me and my family. And if I don't, then I will pay the consequences.
I think people will rise to the occasion when they take on a challenge. The potential for greatness in humans is unlimited.
I have a great amount of sympathy for people who really do have less. And by less, I mean who are really and truly poor and without many options. I think a basic safety net from the government for these people is important. But I also feel there are entirely too many people included in this definition. When a healthy and functional college graduate is on food stamps, something is wrong.
I don't think we, as humans, are entitled really to anything other than what our Creator gives us: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness (thank you Thomas Jefferson). Education, healthcare... yes these are essential for a long and productive life, but it is not the government's job to provide them. It has become the government's job from years of entrenching people in the current system. If the massive bureaucracy that provides these things was removed, you would undoubtedly see private industry step up to provide both education and healthcare in innovative and effective ways that would also be less expensive. An argument could be made to keep some form of public education, but certainly not in the form it is now, which I feel is somewhat ineffective.

By and large, my own personal experiences have created these views. Okay, yes, my dad did give me a voter registration card when I turned 18 and a sign-up sheet for the Young Republicans. However... it is more about what I have observed and learned that has created my conservative convictions. I'll share some stories from my life...

My parents married very young, had me, and started on their way in life. They had very little money. My dad worked his tail off starting as a manager of a gas station when I was a baby and moved onto fields in power generation, electrical contracting, and electrical and automation work. He had to get his GED when he was like 18 because he'd left home young and was on his own. But he got his GED. My mom also got her high school diploma and started working full time a year after I was born. They didn't have parents helping them financially. They just worked. Hard. And they saved their money. A lot. They didn't buy much on credit unless they absolutely had to. They bought their house in 1980 and paid it off. They still live in the house (no mortgage payment!). Vacations were mostly camping and driving places when I was a kid. When I was in 8th grade we were able to go to Hawaii and it was awesome. They lived an honest, hard working, yet simple and fun life. These are the values I was raised with. No one helped them and they didn't rely on anyone else to get where they wanted to go. They put me through college with cash. I attended junior college for two years, while living at home and working part time. I transferred to a very good state university and they paid all my expenses so I could focus on my grades. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, partially thanks to my parents.

Another story... my husband. His parents divorced before he went to college. He also attended junior college and lived at home those two years while working his tail off waiting tables and saving up cash. He got into and graduated from a University of California school. He took out no student loans and had some, but not consistent or substantial, financial help from his parents. He basically paid his way through a UC school (not cheap) by working hard and saving, on his own. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude.

I am so proud to be a part of traditions such as these. I hope to pass on the values of honesty, hard work and integrity to our sons. I feel so strongly that people can do whatever they want to do but it does take hard work. And I realize the path isn't always easily paved or even found. The struggle is different for everyone. Part of the reason I've had such a good life is because my parents worked hard, saved, and lived within their means. Personal responsibility.

I love our country. It is beautiful, not only geographically, but because of the amazing freedoms and liberties we have as citizens which have created such a melting pot (for lack of a better term) of people, cultures, and ideas. I want everyone to be happy, healthy, successful and prosperous. Maybe I am naive, but I believe it is possible. Sure, some people may need help and a lending hand once in awhile. Maybe it's from family, maybe neighbors or friends. Maybe a local charity or church or synagogue. But it is possible to do or be anything you want in this country. And that's what makes it great. And that is why I'm a Republican. I want to preserve these traditions of freedom and greatness that have created and defined this country, so that our people, including my children, may continue to prosper and thrive for centuries to come.

So there I am. Take me or leave me. My political views are a big part of my life, because frankly, they are a part of who I am and what I believe. I do not pretend to be an expert on every political or social issue out there, but these are my beliefs and I am proud of them. And... I promise my next several posts won't be about politics!

Halloween Cookies For Kids

2011-10-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Sprinkles!

Hey, sometimes the crafty gene does come out. Last week we (meaning me and the boys), had some kids from my moms club over to decorate Halloween cookies. It was so fun! In fairness, the idea for how to decorate the cookies came from my mom.

What you need:

- Willing children (this shouldn't be hard)

- Cheap pastry brushes

- Sugar cookies in your favorite shape/cut out

- Powdered sugar icing, colored

- Sprinkles

- Plates or some surface to work on

Here's how it goes:

1. You (Mom) make the cookies in advance and ensure they are completely cooled. I baked these the night before and they were in the shape of cats, pumpkins, and ghosts for Halloween.

2. Right before decorating (within a couple hours), whip up a batch of powdered sugar icing. I added a bit of butter to mine for a little depth of flavor. This type of icing is ideal because of the consistency. Use food coloring as you see fit. We did purple, green, and orange.

3. Pour each color of icing into a shallow container and assign each a pastry brush.

4. Setup each kid with several cookies and access to sprinkles.

5. Let them paint away! They "paint" on the icing, and then can sprinkle on whatever decorations they like.

This is perfect for kids ages 2 and up. You will need to supervise obviously, but its an easy way to decorate cookies. I think we will definitely be doing this again for Christmas and Valentines Day. So easy and fun!

Minivans

2011-10-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Our new reality is going to be slapping us in the face soon. We've started it and I'm embarrassed but I know we have to. We are shopping for a minivan.

Let me back up. Currently we have a Jeep Grand Cherokee. I bought it before we even got married to replace my Ford Mustang GT 5-speed that I was commuting in. I loooooved that car (I always dreamed of having a Mustang) but it was so not practical. So I traded it in and got the Grand Cherokee. I still love it. It's 4x4, V8, has a DVD player and is in good shape overall. But it's small on the inside. And we have no room for anyone but us and our kids.

We knew the time would come when we'd need a family vehicle with more capacity for both passengers and stuff. I have always sort of hoped we'd get a full size SUV like an Expedition or Tahoe. I love the way they look and I'd love driving something close to a truck! But they are expensive (for what you get in terms of capacity, etc), the insurance is expensive, and the gas mileage is not good. And so... while we are still looking, I think there is a good chance we'll be getting a minivan. We've narrowed it down to the Toyota Sienna or the Honda Odyssey but are leaning toward the Sienna.

I know there are worse things. But man, really. A minivan? I swore (like everyone else) that I'd never drive one. But I hear from people who do have one that they love it. And the sliding doors do seem super handy. Oy...

Do you have a minivan or would you consider getting one? Reassure me people! This is a bitter pill for me to swallow and I don't know why!

Odyssey.

Sienna.

Helping Out

2011-10-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

I'm trying Blogger Mobile! Yeah I'm behind the times.

Here is Travis sweeping our fake grass. Gotta start them young right? We were out playing in the yard enjoying our beautiful October weather while we can.

Being Online and Staying Connected

2011-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some random musing lately. Okay really I do this a lot in my head. This time I just happen to be typing it out on my computer (using my new MacBook Air ... soooo excited!).

Anywho... if you are reading this, you are obviously a blog reader. You probably read other blogs. You probably are also on Facebook, possibly Twitter and LinkedIn. Maybe you're on Pinterest too (fun, isn't it?).

Do you ever stop to think about what the effect of all this reading about other people's lives does to you? Not to your eyes. That's another story. I mean, to your brain. And your thoughts and feelings. It has occurred to me that with the way so many of us interact socially online (because who are we kidding, blogging isn't just writing an online journal, it's a community) we are becoming a very comparison-oriented world. At least, I will say that is true for me. Not necessarily in a bad way (frowning as I type this part), but ... before all of this online madness, there is no way I would have known that some crafty mom in Illinois is making her wrapping paper from recycled kids paintings or that a girl I went to high school with has 4 kids and works as a hair dresser, or that my former boss now runs a small startup in the hospitality industry. And while this is all goodness and somewhat interesting... where does it get me? Am I a better, richer (meant in the depth of character way) more accomplished person? Or now do I just have more ideas of what others are doing in their lives and am feeling somewhat ... motivated (for lack of a better word) to get my own ass in gear because I feel like such a slacker?

While yes, Facebook is a terrific way to keep in touch with friends and family, it is also a magnificent time suck. And it can absolutely bog you down in bulls*#% you don't really need to even know about. The same goes for Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and honestly blogs in general. They all provide legitimately useful purposes, but they also come with a ton of baggage: first there is the general time suck. Second, the inevitable observation of who is doing what, with whom, for how much, when, and how. Finally, you take those observations and inevitably turn them into comparisons. Sure, I get some great ideas for gift wrap or inspiration to cloth diaper my kid. But... couldn't I have thought of those things on my own? And if I didn't think of those things all on my own, would my life be worse? Would it be less rich and less complete? Would I be an inferior person if I didn't read that 30th mom blog?

I will be the first to admit I have really gotten some great ideas and inspiration from sites I've found on the internet. Most of them are mom blogs. There are some amazingly talented moms out there who make, create, build, and do amazing things with their kids, in their spare time, as a job, whatever. So I absolutely have to give credit for the enjoyment I get from seeing what others do. BUT, and that's a big but, what am I giving up in return? Time, for sure. Creativity? Almost certainly. Spontaneity? Sometimes. Originality? Yes. Just using my own brain, resources, and know-how to pursue my own interests? Perhaps.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not going off the grid. We're not moving to East Idaho to a cabin on an airstrip. But... I think it is smart once in awhile to step back from this amazingly fast, photo-oriented, update-oriented, status-oriented world we live in, and reflect on what WE are getting from it. How am I benefitting? What am I losing or giving up? Is Facebook serving me or do I just feel compelled to stay up to date with the guy I dated 3 times my sophomore year of high school?

And yes, I am probably overly analytical. But if you've been reading my blog for awhile (and you know you have!), then you already knew that.

Peace out. I'm going to go do my dishes and try to think of something original to do.

Dear Steve

2011-10-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

My dad had this Apple sticker (well not this exact one) on the rear window of his truck for years.

We (meaning the world) will miss you (if I may speak for my fellow humans). You made an immeasurable impact on our lives. I basically grew up with your genius ideas. One of our first computers when I was a kid was an Apple IIc. (We had a computer way before most of my friends!) Then we got a Mac Classic. I remember seeing how a "mouse" worked for the first time at my Uncle Sil's house. I was probably 8 or 9 and was totally entranced. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have another Mac until I met my husband, who is an Apple fan to the core. Now, we are surrounded with your genius. Apple TVs, iMac, iPads, iPhones, iPods, MacBook, everything.

As I listened to the fitting, yet somehow inadequate, tributes throughout the day today, I kept getting lost in thought. I had no idea the passing of someone like you (that is, a very powerful CEO) could affect someone like me so deeply. I guess it's because I look at your life, and what you've done, and I admire. And appreciate. You are an incredible example of dedication, hard work, tenacity, and commitment. I think part of what makes this all so poignant is that I can only hope that my children have an influence in their world that is as strong and positive as yours has been in mine. I believe that true positive role models are few and far between these days... at least those that are in the public spotlight. Most professional athletes fall short. Actors/entertainers? Forget it. Politicians... there are only a handful that I can think of that I'd want my children to emulate. But you truly embody the American dream in a way that just isn't so common anymore. Your inventions, your ideas, are truly life-changing for the vast majority of not just Americans, but humans.

So thank you Steve. I didn't know until this moment how highly I thought of you. Your contribution to my life began at a very young age and will continue at minimum throughout my children's lives. We will miss you.

1st Birthday Party - In July!

2011-10-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm 3 months late, but I'm posting this anyway. Becuase we had such a blast! Our sweet baby boy Travis turned one back in early July. His birthday is near Independence Day so I decided to go with a red/white/blue theme, except I used two different blues (bright and royal) and tried not to include American flags so as not to make it seem like a 4th of July party too. It was all about our baby boy!

As luck would have it, we were having basically our only heat wave of the summer and it was about 100 degrees. And we were outside in our backyard. The good news is that we get afternoon sun, so that helped. And our guests were serious troopers hanging out in that weather for a couple hours before we all headed indoors to do the cake and gifts. Everyone was sweating and we cranked up the A/C. Travis had a great time at his party! We had some cousins and friends for him and Tyler to play with, and he didn't stop moving.

We were exhausted when it was done, but a great time was had by all and our second baby boy celebrated his 1st birthday with family and friends. Now he's 15 months, with much longer hair and walking everywhere. My how time flies!

His cake was a copy of the invitations we sent out! Made by the great lady who also made our wedding cake. Homemade marble cake with buttercream. Yummmm.

Decorations! If you look closely, you can see the letters of his name on the far banner.

Decorations and toys ready to go.

Birthday boy sucking on watermelon while his cousin crawls by.

Poor Scott was manning the sliders on the grill in 100 degree heat!

Love this pic. He looks so hot but he was having a blast!

Family!

Awww, little guy getting his first taste of frosting!

Mmmm, so delicious I'm going to close my eyes and savor.

If you look closely you'll see we're all sweaty and hot. Travis is down to his diaper post-cake.

This bib was a gift and cracked me up. Too cute!

Television vs. Internet

2011-10-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here watching a little TV. Except wait, now I'm also blogging. I've realized something of late. It seems like a bad sign. (Am I a pessimist?) I find it hard to "just" watch TV anymore. I feel like I need to be doing something else, I get antsy. Usually the something else is: email, blogging, working on stuff for my club, something like that. It's like just sitting and watching TV isn't enough. So here's the question... is it because I'm a mom and I feel the need to multitask or is it that I am internet-obsessed and need the interaction with that along with TV? Like TV isn't enough anymore.

But then again, I have memories of when I was growing up and my mom almost never watched TV without also reading a book or the paper at the same time. Maybe I'm just the modern version of my mom? (smile)

While I ponder this... I'm going to close the MacBook and go back to the TV movie and my Trolli Sour Brites Crawlers.

Have a great Sunday!

Momcation!

2011-09-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm back. I went to North Lake Tahoe with a friend. A fellow mom whose son is close in age to Tyler. We had a blast. It couldn't have gone better. Our weather was in the mid 80s. Hello, beautiful! We slept full 8+ hour nights. We enjoyed several nice meals and a beautiful hike. One highlight was our pedicures at the nearby Ritz Carlton. It was easily the best and (most scenic!) pedicure I've ever had. Another highlight? When we decided to go kayaking in 2' swells on the lake - a little storm had breezed in. So we had 24 minutes of exciting kayaking, but we got out there!

Something about Lake Tahoe is so incredibly peaceful and therapeutic to me. I thoroughly enjoyed our time there and as you can imagine, me and my friend pretty much covered every topic of conversation (uninterrupted!) under the sun. Bliss!

Speaking of bliss... my husband watched the boys all weekend and I'm so grateful! He had to finagle working while they played on Friday. He fed them, took them to Hooters (yes you read that right!), took them to a family bbq and even to Tyler's swim lessons while I was gone. I came home and the house was clean and they were all happy to see me. Even though I absolutely loved my weekend, I was happy to be home with husband and boys. There is definitely no place like home.

View from our motel.

First day: toes in the crystal clear water!

View down the coast.

Drinks in the afternoon, with a view of the water (although you can't see it here).

Happy boy with his new cowboy hat.

Happy crazy baby with his new cowboy hat.

Big Trip

2011-09-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Look at that water...

I'm headed out of town this weekend. Yes, I said "I". I am going away for the weekend with a girlfriend. No husband, no boys, no dog. What am I going to do with myself? Sleep. Eat. Pedicure. Hike. Breathe. Take pictures. YES.

I am beyond excited but would be lying if I didn't admit that I'm nervous about leaving the kids. Not because Scott isn't capable, he is more than capable. He is one of the super husbands who generally has things under control with the kids. Its just more that well, I have never been away from Travis overnight and it has been over a year since I've been away from Tyler. And when we did that I was with Scott. So I had a shoulder to lean on. I wonder if my friend will mind if I lean on her shoulder when I miss them all? Probably not because she will be away from her family for the first time too.

Regardless, the weather is supposed to be spectacular and the open road beckons.

I'll post pics when I return. I am so excited! Holy cow I can't believe I'm doing this. Finally!

Tiger Mom Becomes 'Being An American Mom' in China

2011-09-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Heyyyy, should I sue?

I'm kidding (about the suing). My cousin Mike sent me this link today. Apparently the infamous Tiger Mom book has a different title in China: Being An American Mom. Read about it here. I think it's ironic that in China, she has to portray herself as an American mom in the title, but in America, she considers herself as more traditional Chinese. And no, I haven't read the book yet. I'll add it to my reading list, but I'm pretty sure I'm not on board with the "tiger mom" method of parenting.

What I am on board with, and coincidentally it's cited in this article, is allowing our children to explore, learn, and possibly fail on their own. Read this excellent piece from New York Times magazine, What if the Secret to Success is Failure? I found it fascinating and from reading it (all 9 pages), I went and checked out The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids. I'm on chapter two, but it's a page turner so far. I'll be sure to report back.

And finally, I decided to purchase my blog name as a domain name. Fancy! I never thought I'd need to do this, but I feel so official now. So you can visit www.beinganamericanmom.com and it'll send you to my blog directly. Three cheers for shorter URLs! Enjoy!

Fun for Friday

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Tyler decided he wanted to watch Yo Gabba Gabba this evening while we were throwing dinner together. We obliged and then both Scott and I marveled at how weird the show is. And then he said it reminds him of a Deee Lite video. So of course we pulled up Groove is in the Heart on the computer in the kitchen. And then me and the boys danced and grooved and sang.

Happy Friday!

Picture Me... With No Photo

2011-09-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

I am going to share something with you. An insight into my soul. Or really, just part of my life where I am lazy. I love reading other people's blogs (that's not the insight). I love seeing the photos they post that they take themselves and then share with their readers. It's a little peek into their lives. I want to be the blogger that takes not only beautiful, crisp, poignant photos (hello Pioneer Woman), but actually loads them from her flash card onto the computer. But alas, it is a struggle for me. I have a serious hang up about transferrring photos onto my computer. I'm not sure if it's because my computer seems to freak out when I'm working in iPhoto or if I hate going to get the little cord thingamabob, but I dread it. So I often take photos in real life that I'd love to share on my blog, to go with my post, but then I don't actually share. Because its an annoying and tedious task.

So there you have it. Picture me {im}perfectly. Oh, except you can't because I don't feel like digging out my camera and the cord for the flash card reader. And then saving it onto my desktop. And then adding my watermark. And then uploading into Blogger. And then formatting it and adding a caption. UGH!

Gee, when you put it that way.

Oh yeah, and yes I know I could use the photos from my iPhone, but I think the quality sucks. So I'm a photo snob but I'm too lazy to post real photos. Nice.

Remembering

2011-09-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today I was at home with my two roommates in the morning, getting ready for work. They had the TV on in the family room, which was attached to the kitchen. One of them said, hey something is going on. I saw the smoke coming from the first tower. We watched a little while later as the second tower was hit. I said something that sounds so dumb, but I didn't know what else to think. I said, "wow, what are the chances both towers would get hit by a plane?". I didn't know. I didn't realize what was happening and how sinister it all was. Carlos, one of my roommates, looked at me and was like uh, Lisa, we're being attacked.

We all had to go to work, so we did. I had the radio playing the news the whole day on my desk. I was in sales at the time and was supposed to go see my customers in San Francisco that day. That definitely wasn't going to happen. No driving, especially over big, famous bridges. The events of the day, the other plane crashes, the remarks by the President, the horror, all unfolded.

So here I am today in my home, safe, with my husband (didn't even know him then) and our two sons. We are blessed. And we are remembering all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. And thinking of the families. God bless all of you and God bless America.

Pest Control

2011-09-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Gross.

We've lived in this house for 11 months. As you know by now, it was brand new when we bought it so not that long before we moved in, this area was just weeds and brush and bugs and birds and ground squirrels. What is my point? I promise I'm getting there. Until about a week or two ago, we really had no bug problems, indoors or out. It's been great. Sure there are some spider webs here and there, but nothing crazy. But then, the other day we came downstairs and saw a small trail of ants in the kitchen. AAACK! It wasn't a full invasion yet, but enough where we started getting worried. Next day they showed up, upstairs. In the bathroom and also in the laundry room. Not good.

SO, long story long, we called in the experts. The exterminator. Or "pest control" as it's called now. (So PC!) We (meaning I) chose Clark Pest Control and today the guy came out and sprayed indoors (spot treatment only) and outdoors around the perimeter of the house.

I feel a little bit bad about killing innocent little bugs and spiders outside of our house when they aren't hurting anyone. But I definitely do not want them IN our house, biting us or carrying away our food. So I suppose this is the only way to take care of the problem quickly.

Anyway, it's done now and he'll be back in another month to give us a refresh as needed. Let's hope the treatment works and the little critters get the message. Yuck!

The Jumper and The Climber

2011-09-06T21:57:00.000-07:00


My happy boy.

We've got a jumper! And now a climber too. Over the past week, Travis has discovered he loves to climb. On the table in Tyler's room, on the picnic bench outside, on the coffee table. If he can get his knee up on it, he'll be sitting on it. It is ridiculously cute and somewhat scary, because he seems to have no fear! But I love a fearless kid, he will be my adventurer, I can already see it.

For awhile now, Tyler has loved jumping off things. In the backyard, it could be our low retaining wall or on a walk, it could be a rock or basically any solid surface he can climb up onto. He won't do great heights, but he does seem to get a thrill out of it. It's so fun to watch.

We went to the zoo this past weekend and Husband got some great shots of the jumper (Tyler) and the climber (Travis). It was a beautiful day!

Just love the devilish grin.

Me and Trav. Nice expression!

Getting ready to launch.

I'm not sure why, but I've started calling him "Budgie". This is the total Budgie face.

Mmm, ice cream at 11am!

My baby boy.

Look at the walking!

One of my new favorites.

More Budgie.

Look, ma I'm on a fire truck!

Insomnia

2011-09-03T03:02:00.000-07:00

It's 3am. I've been up since 1:30am-ish. Ah, good times. Uh, not really.

Nothing much to report here, at least nothing coherent. I was up like 2 nights ago with insomnia too. What is this all about?

I have some more posts in the back of my mind I want to share, but yeah... time is slipping away everyday. And I am terrible about downloading pictures off my camera in a timely manner and sharing them with you! Oy.

I'm trying out the new Blogger dashboard layout. It's much cleaner, which I like.

I think I'm going back to bed. Talk soon.

Politics: California vs. Texas

2011-08-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Go here to understand how this map works. Fascinating!

I can't help myself. I ran across an interesting series of articles in the Washington Examiner and want to share them. I wish the whole country could read this. I grew up in California. It's the only home I've ever known. I love her scenery, amazing weather, millions of things to do. I don't love her high taxes, high regulation, and politically correct environment. I'm tired of it. If our families were not still here, I don't know if we still would be.

So when I read things like this, I can't help but shake my head and then nod my head. (I end up looking like a bobble head). The gist is that comparing California, a classic "blue" state, to Texas, a classic "red" state, shows exactly how poorly liberal policies have treated our state over the years and how well fiscally conservative principles (that became policies) have treated a place like Texas. Which let's be real, it's basically a huge desert with crazy heat. So you know there must be some goodness there too, because people are flocking in droves.

Here's the series from the Washington Examiner. Each part is less than a page.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Bonus reading

The Neighborhood

2011-08-28T04:35:00.000-07:00

We do have grass and a painted garage door now! And window coverings.

I've come to realize some things about our neighborhood. First, some background. We moved here less than a year ago, in October. It is brand new construction. We watched our house being built. (cool!) We are in a brand new development on the edge of town and do not yet have our own parks or schools, although they'll start being built in the next year or so.

When we moved in, I vowed that we would get to know our neighbors and the kids would have friends to play with. Uh yeah... not as easy as I had hoped. We do know our immediate neighbors on each side. They're both pretty friendly, older adult couples with no kids at home. I see kids in the neighborhood from time to time, walking by, but there isn't a lot of outdoor play. I've really been trying to figure out what the deal is. Here's what I've come up with so far.

All houses have a 2 or 3 car attached garage. People can drive right into their garage, close the door and walk into their home. No need to go outside at all. Hubs and I both park on the street or in the driveway because we have a third car in our garage and just other stuff in there.
We have an HOA that maintains our front yards. Most of our front yards would probably be considered small compared to homes around the country but the nice part is they are maintained by the HOA (which we pay monthly dues for). The downside is there is almost no reason for people to spend time in their front yard. Between it being on the small side, and not having to mow, clip, water or prune, they can stay indoors or be in their backyard.
We have a very diverse neighborhood. Many of the families in the homes are multi-generation and were probably not born and raised in the United States, where they experienced the usual "go play outside" childhood that a lot of us grew up with. Our neighborhood is a healthy mix of white, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and black.

These are the three main factors I can think of that would contribute to our lack of neighborhood friends. I do try to get out and about by myself or with the kids and dog on walks several times a week. I also wash cars in the driveway every couple of weeks which puts me out there at least an hour at a time.

The good news is we have this online forum (of course!) where neighbors can "meet up" virtually to discuss issues, recommend vendors, etc. It is very helpful and they're using it to also organize our neighborhood watch program. There was a block party for National Night Out which unfortunately I had to miss when we were visiting my parents. So the forum is a start, but in some ways it probably replaces in-person communication, no?

What is your neighborhood like? Friendly? More private? Do your kids have friends nearby that they can play with? We could potentially be in this home for many years, so I really want to get to know neighbors. I know some of it takes time. But I'm willing to put in some effort too!

Living vs. Existing

2011-08-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've been in a pensive mood lately. (If you ask my husband, he'd say that is everyday). I've been thinking a lot about what I really enjoy. What are the things that make me happy? What do I like doing? I think it comes down to living versus existing. Sounds so sappy doesn't it. So new wave pop psychology. Yuck. But sometimes I feel like it's easy to float along, just existing. Everything is okay. Bills are paid, everyone is fed. Roof over our heads. All good. But how much fun is there in that? Enjoyment? Satisfaction? Pride? Maybe not as much as needed. At least for me.

Things that make me feel like I am living, not just existing, in no particular order.

Washing my car. Talk about pride in your work. Seeing my filthy, kid mess car clean and crumb free is a real sight to behold. I wash the whole car, Windex the windows, and vacuum the interior. Growing up, my family was like a one-house car wash. We always had 3-4 cars and I was taught very young to wash cars. Every weekend. Fun? Not exactly. But it's a bit of hard work, burns some calories, saves some money, and gives you a bit of pride in your ride. (Hey I like that.)
Taking bike rides. I used to do this a lot in my teen and college years. I'm not sure what happened. Probably marriage and babies. But I miss them. I have a mountain bike but it's a bit uncomfortable. I've already decided I'm selling it to get myself more of a cruiser, one that I could tow a kid trailer behind.
Baking things. Given that we're in the midst of P90X, I haven't been doing much of this. But I love making goodies for us and for family and friends. I am already anticipating doing some baking for the holidays. I will try to limit it to that so I don't undo all the goodness we're working on right now.
Picnics. Scott teases me for this one. But for some reason eating outdoors, whether at the beach or a park is really fun. And I don't know why, but it also gives me license to eat things I normally wouldn't, like cream cheese spreads on crackers, dried salami (omg, yummm), and packaged cookies.
Playing board games. I love this! Unfortunately we don't do this enough. But I'm working on scheduling a game night with some friends from my mom's club. There is nothing like some old fashioned friendly competition between family and friends. My mom's family is a big group of game players. I think it's in my blood.
Reading. I have been a reader my.whole.life. Not always literature (like 90% of the time, its not "literature") but something about reading is so peaceful to me. This is something that I have kept up with pretty consistently my whole life. Starting with Babysitters Club to Sidney Sheldon to Twilight. (Not literature, I told you) But it's such an escape and there is also a sense of accomplishment when you finish. Double win.

So what do you do, to live? To make you feel alive and accomplished and happy? What is fun to you? What gives you a sense of pride? Sometimes I feel like these days it is so easy to find people to do things for us, that we forget about the simple joys of doing and making, creating and completing.

Pioneer Woman on TV

2011-08-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yes it's been ages since I've posted, and I'm posting about another blogger. But I'm so dang excited. Did you hear that Pioneer Woman is going to be on Food Network? I haven't watched Food Network in awhile but you can bet I'll be tuning in (or DVRing) her show tomorrow when it premieres at 11:30am ET.

Here's the sneak preview they've been teasing us with.

Is it me or does her life look amazing? No doubt it's busy and chaotic, but amazing, still.

Congrats Ree! From one of your 13 million fans (I heard she has 13,000,000 visitors to her site). Gee, that makes me feel so inconsequential.

Fruits of Labor

2011-08-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the fruits of my labor? No, not that labor. As in manual labor. Digging, planting, watering. Scott and I wanted to grow some vegetables and herbs in the yard once we got things in place. So we planted some things. And ended up with squash, tomatoes, wildflowers, peppers, chives (that are flowering) and onions. So fun. And I absolutely love that we can share this experience and work with Tyler.

Take a peek.

Swimming, dentist, and a green onion all in the same day.

So cute... except there's a green onion behind his ear.

Flowers and veggies.

Our flowering chives and peppers in the foreground. And a weed.

Mess o' tomatoes.

Love morning sun.

Funky yellow tomatoes. Yum.

Frasier

2011-08-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

Nice mid-90s vests ladies.

My husband and I are kind of nerdy. And geeky. Whatever you want to call us. We both love Frasier. As in, the TV show? Yeah I think it ran 11 seasons or something crazy like that. When Tyler was a baby and we actually had time in the evenings to ourselves once he was in bed, we really got hooked. Hooked as in we own ALL the seasons on DVD. And have watched all of them in order at least once. It actually started running when I was still in high school and I assure you, I wasn't watching it then. But Scott had a season or two that we started watching after Tyler was born when we were sequestered to the couch every night and the rest is history.

Until last night when for the first time in months we busted out Season 1 again. Oh Frasier, you and that hair poof on the back. And Niles and his love affair with Daphne.

Frasier and Niles are actually kind of similar to my husband and his brother. Except they aren't snotty and don't wear suits everyday. But, some of the witty repertoire is very similar. It's pretty funny to watch and compare them.

Anyway, I have a feeling we may be starting a new Frasier cycle all over again. I'm kind of excited in a really lame way. Never mind that we really don't watch any network TV at all and whenever I'm asked what TV shows I watch, my answer is "none". Give me mid-90s adult humor on DVD and I'm good.

So Cal Life

2011-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

I missed you beach.

We're back. We made a little trip to visit my parents. My hometown in Southern California. It's a town by the beach. Surf town. Not big, not small. Very casual, relaxed. Scott had to stay home and work, so it was me and the boys. We made the drive, survived that, and loved our stay with my parents. The boys shared my old bedroom. The NKOTB posters are gone, but I still found my 1980s tape collection in the closet. Some things never change.

One of the best things about our visit was that the boys successfully slept in the same room together! This is a first for us. They both napped and slept at night really well. I was stunned. I was anticipating problems. No problems. What a relief.

We did things like visit with friends, visit the animals at the zoo, and visit the beach.

I love this chair!

And ate corn burritos and ice cream at Foster's Freeze. Yummmm. It was the perfect So Cal week. I managed to sneak in a bike ride on my mom's bike while the boys napped one day. I pedaled around the old neighbhorhood and reminisced. My parents grilled up tri tip for dinner our last night in town. We ate guacamole made from avocados grown in my parents yard. Tyler and my dad made fresh squeezed orange juice from oranges grown on their tree.

OJ makers.

And Tyler strummed on my dad's guitar and sang the ABCs to himself. Music to my ears.

My little music maker.

Seriously, fun. Relaxing (surprisingly). And I got to see three good friends, including one who had her baby while I was in town! I met him the morning before we left, when they were still at the hospital. She and her husband were just as calm and happy as could be. She had delivered the previous evening and while she looked tired, she just looked so happy and peaceful.

Something must be in the water down there. Something about the beach town lifestyle really got to me this time. It's what I grew up with, but I've missed it and didn't realize it. Things are a little more chill there. Relaxed. Getting dressed up in my hometown is wearing a cute tank top with your jeans and flip flops. Everyone has a hoodie, and wears it. They do not have a Banana Republic. There's traffic, and some crime, and the usual bigger town stuff. But it's still chill. I don't know how else to describe it. I do know that I want to keep that piece of "chill" with me more. More smiles, fewer frowns. More go with the flow. You know, just chill.

And now we're home. And it feels sooo good. No trips coming up. Just us and August to enjoy one another. So we can just chill.

Gary Busey

2011-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Give me more bananas mama! So I can run them through my hair.

Allow me to introduce someone. He's a little crazy. He has blonde hair. He runs his fingers through his hair a lot. And then his hair is all crazy with bits of food and debris in it. He screams out suddenly and without warning. His name is ~~Gary Busey~~ Travis.

I dubbed our baby boy Gary Busey after realizing that he is so like the crazy actor who always winds up in mug shots. He's loud, he's kind of crazy, he's blonde, and his hair is always a mess. Now back out the significant drug and alcohol abuse and there is a bit of a similarity. Except our Gary Busey is sweet, adorable, and 100 percent innocent. Not so much with the actor.

We love you Travis! Even though you pierce our ear drums with your screams and you always have bits of dried food in your hair.

Picture Me Imperfectly: For Reals

2011-07-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

A friend watched the boys the other night while Scott and I headed out to a birthday party for a couple hours. The house was pretty messy. My first inclination is to call it a "wreck". There were dishes and junk all over the kitchen island. Dirty dishes in the sink. Suitcases open and spilling their contents onto the floor in the fall. Clothes piled on the stairs. Messy, for sure. We had returned the day before from Colorado and were just sort of racing through the day and then all of a sudden it was time to take off for the party.

I apologized for the house being a mess. My friend, laughed, and was like, are you kidding? It is always so clean. This is great! And then I pointed out that when I watched her son a couple months ago, her house was immaculate and she replied with, yes, and I had to work at it! And of course I acknowledged that I have to work at keeping my house clean too. It's not like it stays that way all day!

So, after that exchange, I got to thinking (shocker). Am I the friend/mom who puts up the perfect front? The one whose house is always neat and orderly when people come over? Who pretends to have it altogether but is usually just hanging on by a thread? Because really, I don't like those type of people. I want to be real. And I want to be surrounded by those that are comfortable being real. I honestly never thought I was the "have to appear perfect all the time" type of mom, but now I am beginning to wonder. And not just because of my friend's comments. I've just realized that maybe I do have some walls up. Maybe I do try too hard to maintain appearances. Appearances of what, and for what purpose, I am not sure. I will be the first to admit that I do not wear makeup nor style my hair everyday. Never have been. But besides that... maybe I work too hard at trying to make my life look easy and in control. Or maybe I don't? For me, when I know someone is coming over, it is natural to clean up the house. I want it to look it's best. I think a lot of people are that way? At least, I thought that was somewhat normal. But maybe I take it further. Or something.

I really have no idea folks. There are a lot of maybes up there. I've started talking in circles.

The bottom line is that I appreciate when people are real with me. And I have always thought of myself as a somewhat real, straight forward individual. So I guess the thought that perhaps I'm not all that "real" was ... is... jarring. Who am I? Which is it? Where am I? What's my name? Kidding... sort of.

This ridiculously confusing and overly analytical post brought to you by...

Surveys and Vegetables

2011-07-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I took a survey over the phone. For about 20 minutes. Willingly. I have a strange willingness to participate in telephone surveys. Assuming I don't have screaming babies on my hands at that very minute. And obviously I am not willing to share very personal or identifying information.

In this case, I'd been contacted ahead of time via mail notifying me that I'd been randomly selected to participate and they sent a $2 bill with the letter. Clever, very clever. Not only did I take (and spend) the $2 bill, I opted in for the survey.

It turns out its actually a major public health survey that is conducted on a regular basis by UCLA. Check it out here. The questions were on a wide range of topics, all related in some way to health.

The question that made me go oops after I responded was, "How many servings of vegetables did your children have today?" My answer was zero. Ugh. We all had several servings of fresh fruit, but no fresh vegetables.

And so I start my Tuesday with the resolve that my children will eat fresh vegetables and fresh fruit today. We started with Cheerios and nectarines for breakfast. It's a step in the right direction. Who knew a little telephone survey could induce such guilt?

Colorado Vacation Fun

2011-07-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Travis dipping his toes in the water of Dillon Reservoir. Look at those clouds!

As promised, a little summary of our recent trip. We took a 5 day trip to Colorado. I had never been there, and Scott had spent some time working there on a contract basis years ago, but that was mostly in Denver. We met some friends from Texas, and their 3 kids. 4 adults, 5 kids, 1 house, 3 bathrooms. Got it?

We stayed at the Keystone Resort, near Dillon. It's just under 2 hours away from the Denver airport, up in the beautiful Rocky mountains. Hubs and I couldn't get over the beauty. It was seriously stunning. And being the geek that I am, I even got excited about driving over the continental divide (look it up) on Highway 70 en route to our destination.

Enjoying lunch al fresco. ie, on the balcony. It must have been bright? I'm squinting like crazy.

Our townhouse was about 100 yards from a beautiful rushing creek. Around here it'd be a river, but in Colorado it's a creek. We were surrounded with pine (fir?) and aspen trees. The balcony looked out into the gorgeous scenery and we had a view of the surrounding mountains.

We explored the area and took walks...

Look at that smile.

...went to the playground overlooking the reservoir that feeds Denver its water...

The playground with the most amazing view from a playground that I've ever seen.

...made meals at home, barbecued, watched movies, played games, drank adult beverages,

visited Breckenridge and Vail...

Tyler snuggles up to Mark Twain in Vail. Who knew?

...and overall had a lovely time.

Our friends are so laid back and chill with their kids and at times I felt a bit like crazy, uptight mom because Travis was pretty clingy and not going down without a fight for his naps and bedtime so it made me kind of stressed out and just plain worn out. Both boys went to bed late each night and by the end of the trip were pretty tired. Travis did pretty well on the flight to and from, although he didn't sleep at all on the return flight and I had to manage the wiggling monster the whole time. But at least he wasn't crying. And despite the usual sleep issues when traveling, we all still had a blast.

Scott and I are trying to figure out when we can go back. We're considering going for our anniversary trip and visiting Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fort Collins, or some combination thereof. Of course those places aren't in the Rockies, but we really enjoyed Colorado. The weather was spectacular too and I loooved the afternoon thunderstorms. Just delightful! (Name that movie)

Gorgeous! Denver! The sunshine state. (Name that movie)

We'll definitely be back. Colorado, we love you!

Home Again

2011-07-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

How sweet and original is this? Seriously, what would we do without Etsy (seller is jmbarclay)? This sums things up so nicely.

We just returned from a seriously beautiful and fun trip. And seriously tiring. I'll do a separate post on the majesty of the Colorado Rockies, but in the meantime... ooh, it feels good to be home. We left Sunday and arrived back today. For those of you with kids, you know how long of a trip that is with little ones. When we opened the door to the house, it smelled new again. So weird but so cool! Better than walking in and smelling the garbage you forgot to take out, right?

So here I sit. Friday evening. My husband just brought me a little adult beverage (so needed after a long travel day), crickets are chirping outside the slider. We have a buttload (that is a scientific quantity... ok, gross) of unpacking to do. Laundry will come after that, tomorrow. Tonight? It's going to be perusing and gushing over the latest Pottery Barn catalog, finishing this drink, getting to bed early (uh, that means in about an hour), and sinking blissfully into my own bed. Both boys have been majorly off their bed and naptime schedules this week and when we put them each to bed, they fell asleep quickly. Love that. Love being home.

Style Lush Link

2011-07-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Scents of Summer, for you, over at Style Lush.

Enjoy!

Confession Sunday

2011-07-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

I have some confessions. Stay with me. This is very heavy stuff.

Sometimes I make cookies just to eat the cookie dough. I mean, I do actually bake all the cookies, but there's a good chance that I eat a half dozen cookies worth of dough right out of the bowl. (While my kids aren't looking).
I carry a lot of my stress in my jaw. Why do I have stress? Not sure. But when I do, my jaw gets tight. I hate it.
I have always thought I am a pretty funny person, but I'm not actually sure that people who know me think so. That in itself makes me laugh. LOL.
I think my boys are ridiculously cute. I mean, I think they are cuter than average. But then I'm also fully aware that everyone thinks their kids are above average in the cuteness department.
I really look forward to my evenings after the boys go to bed. Just because they are cute doesn't mean I don't need a break from them. Sometimes I move their bedtime up 15 minutes or so if it's been a long day.
My sweet tooth has a mind of its own.
When I try to be objective, I think I am a good mom, and good person, and good wife, and all of those things. But day to day I really question myself and my decisions and wonder if I am good enough. I frustrate myself with this.
I could expand the point above into a novel.
I have a girlfriend and her son coming to visit this week over their summer vacation and I am super excited to see her. We've been friends since first grade.
I could eat pasta everyday. I'm pretty sure I'm passing on this love of carbs to my sons. Not sure if that is a good thing.
I have quite an extraordinary amount of craft supplies in our guest room closet. I organized some of it today and realized I have a craft supplies acquisition obsession. Which is ironic because I don't do many crafts. Markers, pens, ribbon, scrapbook paper, glue, stickers, albums. You name it, it's in there.

What can I say. It's one of those days where I feel like baring my soul. It feels good. I think I should click Publish Post before I regret this! Good night and have a great week!

Life. And Stuff.

2011-07-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

Bad blogger. That's me. And tired lady. That's me too.

Travis's first birthday was this past weekend. Including a party for 28 people on a 100 degree day in our backyard. My parents visited too, which was a highlight. And we got to see lots of friends and family. Tyler and Travis had a blast. We all did really and my baby is ONE. More details and photos on the party to come. When I muster the energy to bust out the card reader.

Scott has a new job. It's going well. He is busier in some ways, but around more in others because he works at home now. I am super excited for him and his new job. Except it is taking him away from us more than his other one did. At least for now.

We are leaving on a 5-day vacation soon with the boys. To the mountains we go. Specifically, Colorado. We're meeting some friends and their 3 kids. I'm pretty excited. We're renting a big townhouse (4 bedrooms) and hope to do lots of relaxing, swimming, walking, and smelling that amazing mountain air. (ok, maybe those are my goals). But in the meantime, I'm still making our pack list. Time to get cracking.

I get to babysit my 3-week old niece (ahh!) tomorrow night while her mama and daddy go out to dinner for his birthday.

I'm laying on our guest bed and really enjoying the view. Can this be my pretend bedroom? I feel like I'm in college again (but hydrated). These walls could use a pretty color on them instead of builder beige.

Travis went for his 1-year checkup today. 90th percentile for height and 30th for weight. Can you say long and lean! But he is healthy and that makes me happy.

Tyler gave me the most wonderful hug and kiss tonight before Scott put him to bed. Blessings.

I'm reading a really good book right now by Luanne Rice, The Edge of Winter. I like it and it makes me want to go birding. Something about watching birds is so peaceful to me. For the record, I've never been birding.

We are kicking around the idea of going to Walt Disney World this fall. No, this hasn't been in the works for months. Yes, we are a bit nuts. With a 1 and 3 year old? But we've always wanted to go and we'll have the memories even if Travis won't (Tyler probably will). And there's always photos.

Signing off now. Have a splendid weekend!

How pretty is this? From Mai Autumn on Etsy. Love Etsy.

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

We just returned from the county fair where we enjoyed, among other things, ice cream and country music with the boys and my parents. Then I read the Declaration of Independence. I'm wearing denim shorts and later we're going to barbecue a tri-tip and have corn on the cob. The American flag is flying on the front of the house and it's almost 100 degrees.

Could this day be more American? :)

Happy 4th of July to you and your family!

American Made for Independence Day

2011-06-29T13:41:00.000-07:00

Some 4th of July American-made goodness for you over at my post today on Style Lush. Enjoy!

Reluctant Secretary

2011-06-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

I recently acquired two new titles. One of them is incredibly wonderful. The other is definitely a mixed blessing. Let's start with the super good one.

I'm an Aunt! My brother-in-law's wife had a baby girl almost 2 weeks ago. Her name is Lila and she is precious. Fortunately for us, my brother-in-law and his wife live about a mile away from us so we have seen them and the new baby girl three times already. Since I have no siblings, this is the only way that I will become an aunt, and I'm happy to have it! And since we have two boys, it is super exciting to have a little girl to welcome into the family.

The other title that I've acquired is Secretary. Not as in typing and taking calls. No, as in taking minutes at meetings and producing a monthly newsletter. I've been a member of my local mom's club for almost three years. And have shied away from any sort of responsibility within the club for the whole time. But recently we had our annual board member elections and no one wanted to be secretary. So I tentatively (and figuratively, it was via email), raised my hand. I figured it was time to give back to the club that I have been a part of for three years.

So here I am. Now responsible for a monthly 12 page newsletter, our board meeting minutes, weekly activity emails, and who knows what else. The past two weeks have been a flurry of trying to get the July newsletter produced. I finished it and emailed it out yesterday. I'm not going to lie. I think it turned out decent. It's nothing like my predecessor's version. I think she has a degree in design or something because her newsletters were stunning (as newsletters go). Mine was made in Pages and then I PDF'd it. I wish I could share it, but it has tons of personal info in it.

But since diving in head first to this job I really didn't want, I've also found myself getting more interested in actually helping the club grow and succeed. I want to help find new members, because we need more in my neck of the woods. And I want to make the club more fun and satisfying for our existing members. I've been brainstorming with some other members of the club and we have some ideas. And finally... it's getting me out of the house more with the boys. I know this is a good thing. My housework and productivity (and my blog) may be suffering, but we're having a grand time. Today we went to an ice cream social at a pool hosted by another member. Tyler had a blast. He splashed in a wading pool with some other kids for an hour. Travis sat on the steps with his bottom in the water and played with a plastic toy (I was holding him the whole time). It was just so nice to be relaxing in the sun with the boys and watching Tyler happily play with other kids. This is the reason I joined the club. Me getting social time is also an important piece, but one I tend to downplay. Probably to my own detriment.

So there you have it. Secretary Aunt Lisa. That's me.

RSVP

2011-06-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Can I just ask a question?

What are your feelings on responding to an invitation? (Do you even have any feelings on this topic?) Ha. We sent out invitations to Travis's 1st birthday party 3 or so weeks ago. There are a handful of friends that haven't responded. It really isn't a big deal to me if they can't come. Sure, it'd be nice to have them there, but we understand it's a busy time of year. No biggie. Is not responding to an invitation the same as responding no these days? Do people think it is more rude to say no, than to just not respond? Or is it just a "don't have time to call/write/text so we'll assume they know that we mean no."

I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch on this. I'm not irritated or hurt, just curious. Why not just send an email or IM and say you can't make it? Or call. Whatever works. I feel like when we got married and were waiting to hear back from people, I learned very clearly that RSVPs are important when you're planning an event. We appreciated every person that took the time to send back the RSVP card with a yes or no. So now, even when we can't attend something, we always RSVP.

Anyway... back to party planning. It's going to be a fun time. Hopefully the weather holds. I'll definitely share photos.

Style Lush Link

2011-06-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

A link to this week's post over at Style Lush.

Happy summer!

No TV and No Booze

2011-06-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

I started today on a very optimistic note. I made the executive decision that Tyler would watch zero television (or movies) today. We've been battling with him wanting to watch more than we're comfortable with and I figured that going cold turkey would be easier than trying to explain when he can or cannot watch TV. So we just never turned it on.

At around the same time, as I was feeling less than 100%, I decided that I would break with our tradition of the past two nights and NOT have a delicious yet dangerous homemade appletini with my husband. The past three days it's been in the high 90s here. So in the evenings, we've been enjoying music and drinks in the backyard. The problem is that my husband makes wicked good appletini's (let me know if you want the recipe!) and one led to two for me and sadly, I cannot handle my alcohol very well anymore, as you know. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't hungover today, I just wasn't feeling as good as I would have liked.

So on the whiteboard, it went. No TV. No alcohol. Done.

The morning really progressed nicely, except for a small incident. Tyler was messing around on the benches at our kitchen table and fell forward onto the edge of the table (zinc topped). He cut the gums above his big tooth. He cried, it bled. The bleeding stopped and we proceeded with our day. As Travis napped, we had so much fun not watching TV. We played in the sprinkler outside (it was already in the 80s), read some library books, brewed some sun tea, and prepared to go to the park and have a picnic lunch with my mom's club and play in the water feature.

We headed out with towels in the bag and swim trunks on bums. Got to the park. Lots of kids swarming around the water feature area in the 90+ degree heat. The parents clustered in the sparse shade and me and Travis hunkered down and started lunch. Tyler decided he didn't want much to do with his lunch or the water. I think all the kids intimidated him. I tried several approaches, but nope, he wouldn't go in. So my little plan to have some outdoor fun and picnic at the park didn't work out so well. I was ticked because he was being so obstinate but what could I do. Travis crawled around in the water a bit and then we headed home. Tyler went straight down for his nap, then Travis.

I caught up with an old friend on the phone during nap and then they both got up. I checked Tyler's gums and while they had clotted nicely, they were purple. Ugh. I ended up taking him to the dentist. His big tooth is slightly loose. UGHHHH. I do not handle medical "situations" well. I am sort of a weenie, frankly. They took an xray. Thank goodness all checked out. The root is intact, the tooth is fine and may discolor but we shouldn't have any long term problems with it.

So we picked up some ice cream for the little guy (by this time I was feeling bad that maybe he was feeling bad at the park but wasn't saying so) and headed home. Pizza and then ice cream for dinner and dessert tonight. His spirits are good and you wouldn't know he bonked his mouth this morning. But boy were we watching him like a hawk at dinner so he didn't slip and fall again.

And now it's 7:10. 80-ish degrees. I'm outside typing away, sipping my iced tea that we made. The appletinis were delicious but this is better. And we made it the whole day with no TV. Yay! Despite the tooth incident, I consider it a successful day.

Little Things 2

2011-06-16T19:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share some things that have made me smile recently. Individually, little things. Altogether, they are big things.

A flower Tyler picked.

Travis clapping his hands when he wants something.

Tyler wanting to read three library books in a row.

Scott waiting until I sat down at the table to begin eating.

The warmth of the car after being outside in the cold wind.

The coolness of the air conditioning blowing on me in the car after being out in the heat.

Easy homemade chocolate sheet cake. Thanks PW.

Pure silence in the house when the kids are both asleep in bed.

Here's The Fun

2011-06-15T13:47:00.000-07:00

I'm excited, and nervous, to share my fun news. I'm now a staff writer for Style Lush, a great blog about all things stylish, interesting, cool, fun, useful, and just plain enjoyable. I have been following Style Lush for awhile and have found so many unique ideas for gifts, home stuff, outfits, whatever.

My perspective will be all about American made products. I started off with underwear, so we will see where it goes from here. It can only get better right? Haaa.

Take a peek at my first post. I'll be writing for Style Lush weekly on Wednesdays.

Pool Time

2011-06-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

It is sloooowly becoming that time of year. Swim trunks. The amazing smell of Coppertone sunscreen. Heat.

Swimming!

Tyler is taking swim lessons at a nearby indoor swimming facility. So far so good. The class is practically private, there is only one other student with his assigned instructor. Which is great. He does better with one on one situations. I am excited to think that he will have some great skills by the end of the summer. And it's so nice that the pool we're taking lessons at is indoors. No more worrying about what mother nature has in store for us!

We are taking a trip in July to Colorado and will be hanging with some friends and their kids, who are all older and can swim. So Tyler having some swimming skills will be great and help him have more fun.

Other than that, I am hoping we can get to a nearby community pool on the weekends from time to time. At this point with Travis being so little, there is no way I'm taking the two kids to the pool by myself so we'll wait until Scott is home and go out as a family. I really wish we had a neighborhood pool (or were near a beach, hello). It would be so fun and so much more convenient. There is a golf course/country club nearby but I'm pretty sure we'd have to become members to use their pool. But, I'm going to look into it anyway. Driving a mile up the road would be way better than hopping on the freeway and crossing town to hit the pool for an hour or two.

What are your swimming plans this summer? Beach? (Oh, I wish) Private pool? Community pool? Other?

Tyler, our little chunker, at age 1 in his original swimming pool.

Delicious Margaritas

2011-06-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

My husband has a knack. A skill. It's been honed and perfected as long as I've known him. That skill: making drinks. Since we were dating, we have loved drinking cocktails and Scott has a talent for concocting some pretty good recipes. I'm a little spoiled. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a drinker these days. Years of pregnancy plus years of breastfeeding mean that I'm a 1DM. 1DM = one drink maximum. Well sometimes two.

One of my all time favorite drinks is a margarita. I am embarrassed to admit that I've become somewhat of a margarita snob. I can't really drink the ones they serve at Chevy's or TGI Friday's or any other chain restaurant that offers a massive menu of drinks. I need good tequila, fresh lime juice, and NO sweet and sour mix. Yes, it's come to this.

One of our all time favorite restaurants has an enormous tequila/margarita menu. We have learned from them the fine art of making a very good margarita. Enjoy these in the evenings after the kids go to bed, or on a hot afternoon in the sun. Or just when you are thirsty and need a little attitude adjustment.

Behold and enjoy!

Mamarita Margarita
Serves: 2 margaritas

4 shots of good tequila (Patron, Don Julio, etc - Anejo or Blanco. My husband emphasized that it has to be good tequila)
2 1/2 shots agave nectar (Buy this at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)
4 limes, juiced
2 shots water
1/2 shot Grand Marnier

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker or pitcher. Serve over ice with or without salt. Delicious!

P.S. You'll notice we don't use classic margarita glasses. Too much risk of a spill. With tequila prices these days, who can afford that? Short, squatty tumblers work great.

Smile

2011-06-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this yet? A group of citizens in Grand Rapids, Michigan put together a video as a response to a recent magazine article that said they are one of America's dying cities.

I say, you go Grand Rapids! If I lived even remotely near you, I'd come visit. It looks like a clean and beautiful place to live.

This video gives me goose bumps and puts a huge smile on my face. Quintessential American is what this is. Love it. This makes me proud to be an American!

Quiz Time

2011-06-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

I came across a new politics quiz today (thanks LC). The quiz is simply to test how much you know about current politics.

I think these are so fun. If you are interested to see how political (or apolitical) you are, go over to the Pew Research Center and take the quiz here. They will compare your results to the 1000+ people they polled on the same questions via phone.

For the record, I scored 10 out of 11 correct. I was pretty pleased! There were a couple tricky ones and I had a feeling I'd miss one or both of them.

Share your score if you decide to take it. I will admit that 5-10 years ago, I would have done much more poorly on this. Probably would have gotten 6 or 7. My interest in politics has increased as I get older. I can only imagine how crazy I'll be when I'm 60. Ha.

Something New

2011-06-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've got something fun to share. I'm not going to share it quite yet. In about a week. But it's fun, and new, and will give me something (else) to work on. No, I'm not pregnant. Silly.

Stay tuned.

Picture Me {Im}Perfectly: Regrets

2011-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Do you have regrets? I guess it depends on how old you are and what kind of life you've led. I can honestly say I have very few. Seriously one of the only ones that comes to mind is that I didn't enter my dad's Jeep in the car show in high school and entered his truck instead. Yeah, these are the things that I store in my memory. LOL.

A link has been floating around on Facebook and I just think it is good to share and think on. And really, I need to follow some of the advice here.

The Top 5 Regrets People Make On Their Deathbeds

(by the way, is it me, or does that title not make sense?)

To really look at these, the one that speaks to me is #5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

I have a propensity to dwell. To focus on the negative. I like to feel prepared. And in order to feel this, I need to analyze and obsess over things like emergency preparedness, retirement, savings, raising kids. You know, little stuff. I tend to be so big-picture focused, that then I distill every little thing in our lives into something hugely meaningful and important and impactful of those big picture items. Which then means those things have to be done right. And well. And on time. And often. Know what I mean? What this tends to do is keep me focused on what I need to do, instead of enjoying the moment. I get wound up easily, sometimes over stuff that really isn't important. My neuroses sort of breed neuroses. Not always the formula for peaceful contentedness. But I'm working on it. (Sorry Scott!)

In the meantime, picture me {im}perfectly.


Am I brooding? Or is it just my Southern Chicken sandwich in there? (Which are delicious by the way) Hmmm.

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T14:41:00.000-07:00

It's the day of the year when we honor and remember and thank all of our service men and women who fight for our freedom. The land of the free, because of the brave. Isn't that how it goes?

I always find it odd whe people say, "Happy Memorial Day!". I understand their sentiment, but it always feels a bit off.

We have been flying our flag in front of our house all weekend. Do you fly a flag in front of your home on national holidays?

Also, Tyler and Scott had some boys time at a local airport. They had some neat old military planes on display. Travis and I stayed behind this year, but here's a photo from last year.

Tyler getting shy while Travis and I pose with a sweet veteran.

Finally, if you want a visual reminder of what this day is all about, head over to Pioneer Woman today. Serious tear jerker. As in, the tears were rolling as I thumbed through these photos on my iPhone.

Thank you to all of our military and their families. Without you, we wouldn't be free. And I wouldn't be writing this post.

Winner

2011-05-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I won something. It's kind of surprising actually. Remember when I posted that horrific photo of me in the great room in my jeans? It was an attempt to show what my usual momiform looks like. What do I actually wear day to day? And if I wear my baby (as in, in a carrier or sling), what do I wear to do that?

Well, apparently I was randomly selected in the contest and won! A pair of Kut from the Kloth jeans. They were given away by Shana at Ain't No Mom Jeans, from Shop Adorn, a great little shop online and in Portland, Oregon.

I am pretty stoked on them. They are a dark blue, skinny fit, ankle length. I roll the cuffs. They go with everything. Per-fect for spring and summer. No doubt I'll be wearing them into Fall until it's raining consistently. And I'm really into blue and white lately and I can see myself wearing them with cotton tees and tops this summer.

Thank you Shana and Shop Adorn! I am so thankful!

Wrangling the kids in my Kuts.

Darn You Peter Gabriel

2011-05-27T06:00:00.001-07:00

A certain little boy who forever captured my heart back when I met him in 2008 turned three recently. We celebrated with a special day for a special little guy. Bacon, eggs, sourdough toast, and presents in the morning. McDonalds play place at lunch followed by shopping for fish for his new (small) aquarium. A restorative nap and then play time in the sunshine. Followed by an iChat session with Grandma and Capaw where he got to open more gifts. Followed by a local-family Caillou themed birthday party with snacks and cupcakes. And more presents.

All for our little guy who is not so little anymore. As I was making final preparations before our mini-party this evening, Scott put on a playlist of music on the background through our AppleTV in the family room. Our screensaver for the AppleTV is a slideshow of a bunch of random photos of the boys from birth until present that slowly flip through like snapshots on the television (super cool by the way if you have an AppleTV). And then Peter Gabriel's song had to come on. As photos of Tyler as a baby, a newly walking toddler, and a more steady-footed big boy slid across the screen, the tears started to roll. Darn you Peter Gabriel. I just touched up my makeup and here we go... I watched as the photos brought me back to so, so many happy memories. More than I honestly could ever count. And all I could feel was happiness and thankfulness for this amazing life and the amazing bundle that was put into my arms that amazing day in May three short years ago.

Now that my eyes are welling up again, who can I blame? Peter Gabriel isn't playing anymore. Shoot, maybe it's that darn love for my sons, and for my husband, and for my family.

Happy birthday to my big boy. You make me so proud, and so happy to be a mother. I love you forever.

Tyler, newly born, 2008.

Halloween fun, 2009.

Doing his best "you wanted me to smile, right?" smile on his third birthday.

Jelly Beans

2011-05-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Jelly beans + Ronald Reagan = fun times.

What the heck?

The Jelly Belly factory is in our neck of the woods. After living in the bay area for 11 years (holy cow!), I finally made it there. While Scott is off work, we're doing some local sightseeing. This week we visited the Jelly Belly factory and learned about the history of the company and saw how they make the yummy candies.

Someone prominently featured throughout the tour is President Ronald Reagan. When he was trying to kick his tobacco pipe habit, he took up jelly beans. In particular, he fell in love with Jelly Bellies. He had a jar on his desk in the Oval Office. There was a jar on Air Force One. They had them in red, white, and blue at his inauguration in 1981. (The flavor blueberry was created just for the occasion). Reagan and Jelly Belly go way back. It was neat to see some of the memorabilia they had from President Reagan including one of his original Jelly Belly jars.

Fun tour too. Tons of free samples and we bought six bags of belly flops (the reject jelly beans) for home. Yum.

Scrunchy face.

Hey, you two look familiar. Yes, its a portrait of William and Kate made out of Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Hi President Reagan!

Dessert

2011-05-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's Monday evening. We had a pretty chill weekend. Saturday and Sunday were errands and hanging around the house. Saturday night we had a date night in the city with Scott's new boss and her husband. Delfina. Yummy. Sunday I watched a friend's son while she and her husband went to a movie. It was actually a nice little break for me. We played for about a half hour and then it was his bedtime. I finished a book, and then watched The King's Speech on iTunes. Have you seen it? Seriously fabulous.

Speaking of fabulous. Onto one of my favorite topics. Sweets. I just put Tyler to bed and came downstairs to find my husband warming up the oven. His go-to sweet treat in the evenings is Pepperidge Farms Turnovers. They have various fruit fillings. He loves them. I am not really into fruit fillings.

My go-to sweet treat in the evenings is ice cream. I really could eat ice cream everyday (and often do). In terms of quality, I think Haagen Dazs is probably the best. At least from the grocery story selection. I really, really love their Chocolate Peanut Butter. So dang creamy with huge hunks of peanut butter. If I go with Ben & Jerry's, its their Vanilla Chocolate Caramel. Again, creamy with ribbons of caramel and fudge.

Sadly I have neither in the freezer tonight, so I'll make do with chocolate chip cookies. What's your favorite sweet treat?

{Photo credits: Pepperidge Farms and Haagen-Dazs}

Childhood

2011-05-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

What the heck is happening to childhood these days? A couple different stories, on seemingly separate topics caught my eye this week. Did you see these?

People want McDonalds to get rid of Ronald McDonald because they think that marketing to kids is making them fat. Clearly it has nothing to do with the parents driving them to McDonalds and giving them money to buy the food. It's definitely the fault of the marketing department of McDonalds. And God forbid kids have a happy meal once in awhile. I will admit we have McDonalds every couple of weeks. Tyler loves "burger, fries, chocolate milk". It's a treat for him and for me. No cooking lunch for me, he gets something special. But ultimately, its my responsibility to ensure he is properly fed. I know McDonalds isn't the way to do that but I also would never blame them, or anyone else, if my children ended up malnourished or overweight.

No Pink Slip for Ronald McDonald - this is the rebuttal in the WSJ from their CEO

In Chicago, a consulting firm has been secured to teach kids how to play now that some are getting recess time again. I commend the organization for doing this work, its just so sad it's come to this in the first place. After I read this, it did make me wonder where and how we as kids learned the games we knew. Was it other kids? The preschool teachers? I hope Tyler and Travis learn all those fun games and contests, races and activities that we all played as kids. Tag, statue maker, ring around the rosey, hop scotch, four square, kickball, hide and seek, you get the idea. The games where no adults are needed to supervise or setup. No equipment or batteries are required. Nothing is prearranged or planned. You just use your imagination, and poof, you're hiding behind a tree, or counting to 10.

Group Teaches Chicago Kids How To Play

With our kids, we're of the less is more mentality. We do hardly any organized activities or classes. Around these parts we are an anomaly. I try to encourage Tyler to learn, and explore and imagine on his own without me having to setup everything he does. I absolutely love seeing him using his imagination and being creative. Playing is how kids learn. At least at this age. I hope we can preserve that tradition for many more years.

Our Day

2011-05-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a fairly typical Monday. Except it's mid-May... and it's raining. I am so over this weather. But I know I should be thankful that we have not had the extreme weather that the South and Midwest have experienced recently.

Me and the boys ventured to the mall to return a blanket at Pottery Barn. Normally I don't even bother with the mall with both of them. Me + a toddler + a 10 month old does not add up to a successful shopping experience. However in this case, I knew it'd be a fairly quick transaction and it was. Just a note to others... Pottery Barn's blue smoke is really more of a medium green. Not what I had in mind.

Pottery Barn led to Safeway. We escaped with spending less than $150 and buying everything on my list. Yay! One of the things I picked up was some McCormick garlic powder. I seem to be using more of it than garlic salt these days and it was time for a new bottle. This time I went with the 12.25 ounce size. I know, but we really do use it a lot. As I was reading the back label, I noticed... Packed in USA. Product of China. What??? No wonder the price/ounce was better than the Safeway generic. I'm assuming this means the garlic was grown in China and then shipped here. Or maybe it was grown and processed in China and then shipped bulk and then packaged here? Either way. Not okay. I know, it's just garlic powder. But why would I buy Chinese garlic powder when I'm sure there is an American farmer or company that could have produced the same or better? And honestly, I would have paid more for this from an American company had I bothered to look to see if there was one offered. Especially because it is a food product. Ugh.

Post-naps, we braved the rain and tried to make the most of the afternoon. I returned some cabinet hardware at Lowe's and then we browsed a bit. We picked up a tap light for our cave-like hall closet and as I was wandering through lighting, I found a buy I couldn't pass up. It was a blue glass lamp with an ivory drum shade. Both pieces for $50. Sold. I have been looking for something just like this for our guest room. Unfortunately it came with a CFL bulb. Great. Now I have to dispose of it. I do not want our guest room to have that blu-ish white glow that the CFL bulbs give off.

Post-lamp, we raced over (in the requisite Lowe's racing cart) to the lumber area. I was looking for some very small blocks of wood that I could paint and use with our baby gate in the great room. The gate is just slightly not wide enough so I figured I could find some cheap (free?) wood blocks to shove in there and make it fit better without having to buy a whole new section for the gate. Success! I found two men working in the lumber area. One of them offered to cut up some scraps to the size I needed (approx 2" x 2") and give them to me for free. (Being a woman with 2 small kids by yourself in Lowe's has its advantages.) When he was done cutting my pieces, he cut two more small blocks out of 2 x 2 lumber and gave them to Tyler and Travis to play with. It was such a sweet gesture. He mentioned how he has 3 kids of his own but they are all teenagers and advised me to enjoy my kids now. Ha. Probably wise advise though. I noticed he had a Southern accent. Turns out he is in the military (we have an Army base in town) and is from Virginia. His kids and wife are still there. They weren't able to sell their house so he is stationed out here and apparently works at Lowe's in addition to being in the Army. He said he flies back when he can to see them.

Can you imagine? What sacrifice. And commitment. He was such a nice guy, and clearly devoted to his family. And to his country. And there he was cutting extra pieces so my kids could have a block of wood to play with. I wish I had thanked him for his service. We need more kind people like him. What an inspiration.

Grrr

2011-05-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

I went to publish some comments that were in my inbox for several past posts and Blogger is telling me they are not longer there. I don't know what that means. By now you've probably heard that Blogger had a major outage. It appears they are getting back up and running but I don't know if the comments that were left for me but weren't yet approved (published) are going to be restored or not.

I understand these things happen sometimes (my husband is in IT, I've heard the stories), but I'm bummed that some of these comments may be gone for good.

In the meantime let's just hope they get things up and running completely. Soon.

Scattered

2011-05-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

My brain is such a mish mash. Hodge podge. Whatever you want to call it. It's scattered up there. Apparently I made some exchange where I give up my abilities to plan and organize for amazing children. I find myself in this strange, well not so strange lately, place where I feel like I should probably plan and schedule our days more. But, I'm afraid to plan and schedule our days more.

Allow me to ramble. Hm, where do I even begin? I know that it has started with the realization that I've become a big grouch in the morning. And I consider myself a morning person. No bueno. But I am grouchy for about an hour. And then I'm usually good. But that hour consists of me getting both kids changed, fed, and somewhat content. I also in that time feed myself, feed the dog, and usually do something with the dishes. The first hour of my day rarely involves a shower for me and never involves exercise (what's that?). I think by the end of the hour I have put together a mental list of where I want the day to go so I start to feel better. Having the plan makes me feel good. Prepared. Organized. On top of things.

So why don't I plan further out? The night before? The whole week? I dunno. I'm scared. It doesn't make any sense, but since I've become a mother in some ways I'm less able to roll with the punches than I was before. I can deal with a leaky diaper, or barf, or crying.... generally. But when one of the kids misses a nap, or we're just unable to get out the door to get somewhere, I get sort of twitchy. It's like I can't deal. Even though in reality I can and do. But the thought of all this occurring makes me fear a solid schedule for the day because I know that with kids, the only definite thing is that you won't be able to stay on schedule and/or accomplish what you set out to accomplish. Even a schedule that takes the kids into account in the first place. (Did that make sense?)

So I tend to float through the week. I definitely get stuff done. Don't get me wrong. Groceries, Target, vacuuming, sweeping, dishes, meals, laundry, post office, play dates. It's all there. But most of it isn't planned more than a day in advance. And I never load up too many things in one day. And sometimes I have days where I'm either going stir crazy because I didn't get us out of the house, or it's the end of the day and I'm asking myself what I crossed off my list.

Can you tell I feel like I don't know what I'm doing? Even though I've been at this stay-at-home mom thing for almost three years? I doubt myself. And then I get mad at myself for doubting myself. Makes sense to me!

My hunch is that I really do need to try to plan. I probably will feel better. And even if I don't get everything done, I will.be.able.to.deal. The world won't come to an end. The kids will be fine. So will I. And the upside of the plan is that the day will start with more purpose. More things to look forward to (park, play dates, fun stuff). More things accomplished (mopping, errands, exercise!). It's all goodness and light.

Now if I could just quiet down these neuroses for a couple minutes and plan out the rest of the week I'd be in good shape.

I don't look crazy on the outside... generally.

Finally

2011-05-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

And no, I don't mean finally I am writing another post. Although that is true too.

Finally. Our backyard is completed. About a month late. Still within budget. Thank goodness. We have a yard. Green (faux) grass. Flowers. Tiny shrubs that will grow someday. Places for the kids to run and explore. Bark for Travis to eat. A whole hillside for Tucker to scale and poop on. It's all here.

I am just so thankful it's done. We thought we'd be done by end of March. Not so much. We were satisfied with our contractor (yeah, we have almost no construction skills), but they did take their time on some things. But I'd rather have that than a rush job or cost overages. Or what have you.

Before

Done.

And done.

So happy!

Easter

2011-05-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

I couldn't NOT share this photo: our Easter!

What the...?

Believe it or not, we had a great day. This was right after the boys finished their Easter egg hunt and before the rain started up again. I think we were asking each other something. I don't think we were as angry as it appears. Maybe not even angry at all. We look confused.

Either way, the boys look adorable.

Picture Me... With A Brown Thumb

2011-05-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

Sigh...

I so wish I had a green thumb. But it's looking pretty brown these days. I put a lovely maidenhair fern in our guest bathroom. These are one of my favorite indoor plants. I love how delicate they are. Apparently too delicate for me. I think I've killed two others and this one seems to be on its last leg (frond?). I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Too much water, not enough? Too much light, not enough? I promise I even read the instructions and tried to follow them. My husband simply rolls his eyes at my attempts to beautify our house with plants because he knows I will kill them.

The good news is this little beauty was only $4 at Lowe's. Time for another one.

And bear with me on my photos. I'm attempting to teach myself how to take some decent shots with our D300.

Self improvement is a painful process isn't it?

Poor little guy.

Fair Weather

2011-05-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's official. I am a fair-weather runner. The boys and I ventured out in the double BOB (ok, I wasn't in the BOB, I was pushing it) today. The skies were clear and blue. The temperature was about 75. It was simply beautiful out. I lathered them up with sunscreen, threw on my hat, and away we went. I haven't been out running since January I think. During a freak heat spell. As we were leaving it dawned on me, yup, I am totally a fair weather runner. I can't imagine how bad I'd be if we lived somewhere with actual weather. I wonder if there is a medal or plaque I can get:

Official Fair Weather Runner Award is given to

Lisa

This honor is given to those who are only willing to run or jog on dry and sunny days

with temperatures between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

It'd probably be made out of cardboard.

The run was brief but successful. This post 2-babies body of mine really isn't used to vigorous exercise. Lifting, crawling, and crouching? Yes. Running for an extended period? No. We did a loop around the neighborhood and toward the end Tyler got out to walk and smell the flowers. I try to teach him about different colors and types of flowers when we are out. It is one of my favorite parts of getting out with the kids.

One run down, hopefully more to come. And more frequently. I will probably be a bit sore, but it'll be a good sore. And we all got our Vitamin D to boot.

Good riddance

2011-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I am watching the news as President Obama announces that Usama Bin Laden is dead. I actually saw it on Facebook first. A bunch of people were commenting and I couldn't figure out what the hubbub was. What a momentous occasion for the United States. As many others have said, I kind of assumed he was already dead.

I am so proud of our Armed Forces and intelligence agencies for making this happen. It took almost 10 years, but they did it. Maybe this will send a message to the broader terrorist community. It remains to be seen.

"Justice has been done." I agree President Obama (for once)! It would have been nice if you had mentioned yourself a little less when making this historic announcement but I know it's just the way you roll.

Justice prevails!

Party Time: Baby Shower

2011-05-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

Phew, one big project down. I hosted a baby shower with my mother-in-law Saturday for my sister-in-law. We held it at her house (yay!) and it went off without a hitch. I have never planned a shower with someone else before and I have to say, it is much easier and more fun when you're not responsible for the whole thing (and cheaper).

My sister-in-law Erika had a great time and received tons of gifts, including some cute home made goodies. I actually made her a blanket with my new sewing machine. It was nothing complex, but I was pretty excited that I completed a sewing project that someone could actually use! I hope they get good use out of it. I'll have to find some photos and will share them sometime.

For the shower, we chose gray and yellow as the color scheme. Their nursery is modern with gray walls, white tree decals and pops of bright pink and yellow. Super cute. So the shower color scheme tied in nicely. My mother-in-law Janet and I divided up making the food and doing the decorations and favors.

We started setting up around 11. The shower was at 2 and I was home by 5:45. It was a long day. It was also the longest I have been away from both boys. That is crazy isn't it? The boys stayed home with Scott and my dad, who was in town with my mom so she could attend the shower. When I got home I missed the boys, a lot. Travis was already a sleep because he took zero naps (poor Scott and poor Travis) and Tyler wasn't feeling well. I can't believe how much I was hugging on him. It was only 7+ hours but you'd think I'd been gone seven days. As my husband said, something about these kids is addicting. I have to agree.

Throwing the shower was fun and also gave me an excuse to buy a new dress. Yes! Now it's on to planning Tyler's birthday (end of May) and Travis's first birthday party (early July). I can't believe I'm starting all over again!

I heart Etsy. I mean really... look at this invitation. I was sort of obsessed with it.

Me and my mom. We both unknowingly chose cotton dresses with an eyelet border at the bottom. Typical us.

Yummies. Those ginger cookies are our family recipe. I used a stamp from Michaels to cut out scrapbook paper for some color on the counter.

Scott's step-grandma cruising through the family room. And the bunting banner I made. I wish I had taken a close up.

One of the girls said their backyard was like being in a Sunset magazine photo shoot. I agree! We added some yellow to tie it in to the shower.

Desserts, lavosh rolls, a diaper cake and tissue paper poms. What more do you need?


Beverage bar. Lemonade, iced tea, and water. Also obsessed with the straws.

Color for the mantle.

Lemon jelly beans.

Doing/Reading/Thinking

2011-04-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

What have I been doing? What have I been reading? What have I been thinking about? All good questions. All questions you probably have not asked yourself recently. But I'll go ahead and answer them anyway.

Doing
- Finishing up details for a baby shower I'm hosting for this Saturday. It's crunch time. I'll post pics when it's done.
- Coordinating the completion of our backyard with the contractor. Yay!
- Taking care of the bambinos. Travis has a double ear infection. Boo. After we got that diagnosed yesterday and started him on antibiotics, he threw up three times (twice on me). Thankfully, he is doing better. Poor baby. It's leftover from the cold that he got from Tyler, who also had croup. Rough spring for this household!
- Buying patio furniture for the backyard!
- Preparing for my parents visit this weekend. It's been almost 4 months so we're looking forward to seeing them and catching up. I think the weather is going to be great.
- Tyler has started a weekly soccer class. Two down, about 7 to go. He is slow to warm up, but he's really having fun.

Reading:
- President Obama released his birth certificate. Sheesh. Finally. I wouldn't consider myself a "birther", but this sure was a big distraction for the past two years. I'm glad it's over. So President Obama, let's talk about spending...
- Facts on government spending, in easy to read charts. Facts don't lie. We don't need more revenue, we need to cut spending. We are already at near-record levels of revenue (adjusted for inflation). That's not the problem.
- Various spring/summer catalogs that have filled our mailbox: West Elm, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, and all the other requisite suburban Stay at Home Mom publications.

Thinking:
- Tyler's 3rd birthday is a month from yesterday. What??? Time to start planning. And yes, I'm late this year. For sure we are going to be making a trip here. Besides that, I think we'll just do a special birthday breakfast and dinner. And cake of course. Caillou themed?
- Um, yeah. Scott and I are nothing if not predictable. Travis's birthday is July 2. ONE YEAR OLD! This will be our bigger party this year. Since it's two days before Independence Day, we'll make it a patriotic theme. I've got visions in my head (in addition to the voices). Time to start making them a reality.
- Holy cow, Mother's Day is in a week. Um, yeah.
- Some other important family birthdays are also coming soon.
- Researching preschools. (sniff, sniff)

State of Confusion

2011-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like things happen around you for some reason you can't figure out? In my case, I seem to repel friends. As in drive them to move to other states. Maybe I'm being a teensy bit dramatic.

I just learned a former neighbor/friend is moving to Georgia. We had many long talks as neighbors about the crazy state that we live in, and how we'd both love to live somewhere with a lower cost of living and well frankly, an area that was more in line with our values and thinking. (yeah, she's a Republican too, in case you were wondering). I just learned from her Facebook page (ok, we haven't kept in touch recently), that her husband (a successful PhD chemist) got a new job and they are relocating to Georgia. I don't know a lot of other details yet.

The other friends include one that moved to Virginia just over a year ago (ahem, Molly), and a friend from my mom's club that moved to Texas about 4 months ago.

I am not 100% sure we'd choose to move out of state if given the opportunity right now, but we have talked about it on and off for several years. I do think someday we will, but it may be in 5 years or it may be when our kids are grown and we are ready to retire. Who knows.

Please don't get me wrong. I am incredibly happy for my various out-of-state moving friends. This isn't sour grapes. More like, reflective grapes (with a side of whine?). In fact, it reminds me of a close friend in high school, Lori. At the beginning of our junior year, her mom got an opportunity to move to Las Vegas for a promotion. Her grandparents and dad already lived there. Her mom wanted to go but also wanted to respect her wishes and said that if Lori didn't want to go, they wouldn't, and that would be it. Lori asked me what I thought they should do. I encouraged her to go. Even though we were half way through high school, I thought it sounded fun and exciting. Lori was intrigued by the idea but was still mulling it over. They ended up moving. The good news is we are still friends. We went to the same college, and she was in my wedding. Amazingly, she has landed back in Las Vegas and is doing great. Anyway... as a somewhat self-centered teenager, surely I could have begged her to stay. I didn't. I thought it sounded fun and like a good opportunity for her. And maybe that is where my "friends that move out-of-state" pattern began. High school? Huh. That hadn't occurred to me until just now.

So, now I've rambled. I haven't done a post like this in awhile. It's one of those nights where I'm... pensive. I suppose that's the best word. In situations like these, this is where I choose to believe everything happens for a reason. I don't always understand the plan, but I know there is one for me. And for Scott, and for our kids. We love our lives here. California rocks in a lot of ways. Amazing weather, beautiful scenery, tons to do. We always talk about how we feel like we won the lottery of life, with each other, with our families, with our kids, with his job.

It is times like these that remind me of how fortunate we are. And in some ways, it helps me stay focused on the important things too. Focus is good. Thankfulness is good. Maybe I'm not as confused as I thought.

P.S. Is it weird that I *just* noticed that the flag of California has the word Republic on it? Hm. I'm off to do some reading.