NaNoWriMo 2009

Can't post...all my words are used up...

Maybe this video will help explain what I've done for the past SIX Novembers (because I'm crazy).

Oh, and one more thing:

Because along with being crazy?

I am awesome.

Quality Father/Son Time

The other weekend, the Man was all alone with the Boy. Boo went on a special outing for her birthday and I was at a write-in (NaNo-speak for a bunch of us sitting around with our laptops, listening to each other type while we eat cookies). So the whole afternoon, the Man and the Boy could spend some quality time together. Their planning session went something like this:

The Man: Okay, Boy, you and I get to play together today!
Boy: Woot!
The Man: So what do you want to do?
Boy: ...
The Man: We could go shopping. We need to get Mommy a Christmas present.
Boy: ...
The Man: It could be fun, going to the store. You might get a treat.
Boy: ...
The Man: Or we could play Lego Sta-
Boy: LEGO STAR WARS!
The Man: Yeah, we could play that.
Boy: Okay, let's play Lego Star Wars.
The Man: Are you sure you don't want to-
Boy: No, I wanna play Lego Star Wars.
The Man: Oooookay...

And they did. For three hours.

The Boy is mildly obsessed with Lego Star Wars currently. And since I've been writing instead of giving him attention, he gets to play it pretty much all day long (I can kiss that "Mother of the Year" award goodbye). When he comes down for breakfast in the morning, he tells me all about his Lego Star Wars dreams. If his grandparents or relatives talk to him, he updates them - in minute detail - on his latest achievements.

We might have a problem.

What is your child's current addiction?

Bad Hair Day?

Wanna see a recent picture of Baby?


I finally got around to putting her super-soft hair in pigtails! Be careful when you hold her...those little poofs of cuteness will tickle your nose and make you sneeze if you're not careful. Baby's not so sure she likes her new beauty routine in the mornings. I lock her into her highchair and then go to work with the comb. This is usually Baby's cue to start vigorously shaking her head. Yeah, it's funny for about five seconds...

Once I'm finished, she doesn't seem to mind them. She doesn't try to pull them out but she'd rather you didn't attempt to straighten those piggies out after her nap, either. Does NOT make her happy. And while I love seeing her like this, it has it's drawbacks. For instance, should I be in a hurry the next morning and don't get around to making pigtails, Baby's hair looks like this*:


Did you just reel back in horror, too? Combine that hair with her cackle/laugh and her penchant for growling at people, and she starts taking after someone else...


Doesn't help that she's got those razor-sharp baby fingernails!

*Sorry for the blurry picture...it was taken with the Man's phone.

Wordless Wednesday: LOL Cats

(Okay, so most of my words are going heavily into my NaNoWriMo attempt...but you know I can't be entirely wordless. And besides, this photo has a caption. From the ever-entertaining LOL Cats.)

Fashion for Dummies

I do not know what to do with clothes. Oh, sure, I usually know how to dress myself: snap, buckle, and zip (although side zippers get tricky...). But when it comes to putting outfits together, I am completely clueless. Mostly, I get whatever the mannequin is wearing so I can be certain it goes together. It helps to make sure the mannequin is female and age-appropriate. You don't want to see me in a mini skirt.

And shoes? I am completely lost on what shoes are best. Black boots go with everything, right? When in doubt, I wear my mary janes (which are also black). Last time I counted, I owned 12 pairs of shoes - including my summer sandals and that one ugly pair of crocs. Definitely not a shoe addict.

So this is where I need your help, my beloved Internet!

Let's pretend I just bought this dress (if you are my husband; don't worry, I got it on sale!):

And this cute shrug:

I'm thinking Christmas parties and family photos.

But what does do I wear with this? I have some black boots (picture taken from the Payless site...not exactly like mine but the heels are close enough):

Those might not be so great...what about these two (both from Payless)?

A little on the edgy side for me and I'd probably never wear them with anything else. See? I told you I was clueless. I just didn't get the "shoe gene" on my extra X chromosome. And I'm not sure I want to go entirely in silver. What are the kids going to wear that would be good with this? I don't want us to end up looking like we're dressed in foil, expecting an alien invasion. If I knew how to do it, I be wringing my hands in agitation...

So...What do you think? Please send links, pictures, or samples. :) Um, but keep in mind that along with no shoe gene, I also didn't get the "spend huge amounts on apparel" gene so I can't stomach spending $80 on a pair of shoes. I know, I know...I should go into some sort of conditioning camp for the fashion-deficient.

And if you are fashion-enabled and can make an awesome outfit from anything, would you please come with me to find clothes for the kids that go with this dress? I'm serious about this! We haven't had a family picture since the Boy was born and family members are starting to think Baby doesn't really exist, as they have no photographic proof of our improved family unit. I really need help! I'll buy you lunch! I might even bring cupcakes...Anyone? Anyone?

The Proof

Remember how awhile ago I told you about Baby's unusual laugh? How she's practicing for her life of crime by getting the maniacal cackle down?

Well, we finally got it on camera! (And then I finally figured out how to upload it...)



And yes, her daddy is her favorite person. I, on the other hand, am chopped liver.

**For those of you having problems...the video should be working now! Sorry. Just learnin' this stuff!

(If you have the time and inclination, please help with a cake conundrum!)

Tiny Party

Something you may have noticed about Boo: she is tiny. I mean really, really little. She is often mistaken for the Boy's twin because - despite the 2 1/2 year age difference - they're the same size. So when we were discussing themes for her birthday party (last November, no less), I told her about a Tiny Party I'd seen in a Martha Stewart magazine (because, let's face it, when it comes to parties, Martha and her minions are far better at it than I am). Boo was pretty excited and wanted to plan it right then...with 11 months before it would happen.

Finally, her birthday arrived. So we had a Tiny Party. Small party, huge fun!

As the kids arrived, we played musical chairs with small chairs. Not that creative but hey, I needed something for them to do while I finished setting up. Next, came hats. I ordered the party kit (because, once again, she's better at it), so I set the kids to decorating their own tiny hats with stickers.


And here's a party tip for ya: when ordering supplies for your party, keep in mind that the birthday child counts as one, too. Not enough hats for Boo. She didn't seem to mind when I presented her with an awesome hot pink crown.

After hats, we had a couple games. First, there was the Mini Ring Toss.


I used lollipop sticks wrapped in ribbon and stuck in a Styrofoam circle. The rings are bracelets. We had to keep moving the line closer because, despite years of party game practice, the rings weren't landing around the pegs. After the ring toss, we had a miniature bowling set. We kept it inside the lid of a large box, so the pins didn't scatter all over the room, but also to give them a hard surface to roll the ball. That went over big and even though they had to wait a long time, they still wanted to keep playing. While they played, I began setting the table...and it took me far too long. I had to create a new game for them so I went with an old grade school favorite: Small and Smaller. The kids sit in a circle on the floor. The first one names an object (usually a pretty big one, like a house). The next kid has to name another object that is smaller than the previous one, and so on and so on, until they can't think of anything smaller. Then, the game starts over with another large object but you cannot repeat any objects from the previous rounds. This games lasted about two rounds and then they were done.

Luckily, I was ready by then.


I really ought to take a class in table setting or food styling...it looked much cuter at the party. Visit The Cake Cow for better pictures of the cake. Along with cupcakes*, the guests got scoops of ice cream (made with my melon-baller), root beer floats in their little cups, Mini Oreos, Mini M&Ms, and Baby Goldfish. I just loved the tiny forks that came with the party package!

After cake and ice cream, we realized we forgot one more game: Mini Pin-the-Candle-on-the-Cupcake. I made this using leftover stickers from a previous birthday. There were just barely enough candles for each child, including the Boy.


And I'm proud to say that da Boo cheated. Takes after me, she does! (That isn't Boo pictured...that's one of her friends who would never, ever, ever cheat. Ever.)

And what do you do after tiny games? Open tiny presents!


When it was time for the guests to go home, they got a pretty spiffy goody bag.


Using Marth's boxes, I filled them with all the fun miniature items I could gather. There's a magnifying glass, mini maze, tiny art set, small bubble kit, tiny deck of Uno cards, little cup, miniature Reese's peanut butter cups, and Hershey's Miniatures. Of course. Tucked inside the coordinating tiny tote (seriously, how does she come up with the cuteness??) is their own mini bowling set.

And then I took a nap for nine hours.

* I will admit that I had grand plans for the cakes. Grand, I tell you! I intended to make each guest their own miniature cake because how adorable would that be? But when it came time to make the cakes, I had just finished putting together and executing a party for 300 people. I was beyond exhausted. Mini cupcakes seemed an acceptable substitution...but I'm still kicking myself for copping out.

Grumbly Randomness

I've been grumpy lately (just ask my family). It's never a good idea to post on your blog when you're feeling grumpy, unless, of course, you intend to offend scores of readers in the process. Not like I have scores of readers but you get the idea.

Here are a couple open letters that I didn't post:

• Letter to the kids who thought it would be cool to toss around a football in the church. And not in the gym! In the RELIEF SOCIETY ROOM!!
• Letter to whoever wrote the lyrics and music to the latest song that's burning a hole in my head. I don't even like the singer!
• Letter to the makers of my hyper-defective smoke alarm that insists on declaring the house ablaze whenever I use my oven.

Let's all agree that my deleting these posts was for the best.

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And I'm a crazy person for the sixth year in a row. Heck, most of you already know that, right? I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month for the sixth straight year. I'm working on the last third of the book I did in 2008 and then I rewriting another book I started in March. The first one is a twisted tale of werewolves and demon possession. The second is a light-hearted, fluffy LDS romance. And I tell ya, it is not even possible to work on both of them in the same day. I wrote one chapter for the werewolves, had nothing left in me, so I switched over to the cuteness of my LDS character. I then wrote possibly the darkest chapter in that entire book. And? I'm not quite where I need to be with word count! ARRRRGGGGG!!!!

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This past weekend I nearly killed myself, quite literally. I had another ward activity on Friday night (for which I only got one negative comment - and that was from someone who won the cook off!). Then Saturday, I had Boo's 7th birthday party. I wish I had been in a better mood for the festivities...but Boo and her friends had a fantastic time so it was very much worth it. Well, except for the part when one of the moms, knowing I'm a cake decorator, asked to see the cake. I was rather embarrassed to show her how I had completely coped out. Hey, you try decorating nine cakes after investing your entire heart and soul (and the other half of your brain) into an event for 300 people.

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So with all the insanity lately, I think I deserve something nice and relaxing...like this:


Annette from The Lion's Tale is giving one away AND I WANT IT!! It's a massaging footrest from Accent Furniture. So don't go over there and read her blog. Don't comment to enter to win. And don't fall in love with her clever, witty wordiness. I'm telling ya...just don't do it!

Lucky #7

This is da Boo's Birthday Week. She got to pick the menu (and I had to limit her to only two nights of pizza). She gets to pick her clothes (oh boy...). And she gets to pick a restaurant for her birthday dinner. For the past five years, she's demanded the International House of Pancakes. This year, her tastes have greatly matured. For her seventh birthday celebration, Boo chose Sakura, a Japanese grill where dinner is prepared in front of you. The deciding factor, I think, was the flames.


She's so excited to finally be seven. When I asked if she felt any older, she said she's felt like she's been seven for a whole year already. Oh, the days when you couldn't wait to be another year older...


Here she is trying her first taste of sushi. This is crystal shrimp and she loves shrimp. Consequently, she liked the sushi. Her father's daughter, after all. And the waiter made her some "cheater chopsticks," so now she thinks she's an expert at those.


And here is the Boy and the Co-ed. You'll notice the Boy's choice for the evening's meal. (And if you tell him there's no chocolate milk on the menu, be prepared for tears.) Why does the Co-ed look so sad? Because she was pelted with food the whole dinner! First the chef flung her vegetables on her plate a little too hard. Then he smacked her pretty good in the face for multiple pieces of shrimp (those are supposed to be caught in your mouth, silly Co-ed). THEN the Boy knocked over his drink...right into her lap.

We have yet to get Boo her birthday present. She can't decide if she wants more Littlest Pet Shops (she's not quite to the 100 mark) or an Easy Bake Oven. Hrmmm...maybe she is my kid.

Happy Birthday, Boo!