I Suppose I Should Be Proud...

Due to the Boy's natural ability to utterly destroy objects simply by being in the same room with them, we are constantly repairing things from toys to eye glasses. His last pair of glasses broke so frequently that I became quite good friends with the gentleman at the eye clinic that repaired them. So when his prescription changed in January, I paid the heaps of extra money for better frames. These are so bendy that they can almost be wadded up and stuffed in your pocket. Nearly indestructible. I say nearly because...


*sigh*

Hostile Relations with China

My parents were out to visit us recently. We don't get to see them enough so it was a lot of fun. My mom helped Boo make one of those ridiculously difficult wooden puzzles and my dad helped me with a few projects around the house. The Boy did most of his bonding while watching movies. But Baby had a completely different experience: she met my parents' dog, China.

China is a really good dog. Very sweet and gentle, only asking that we never cease in petting her or telling her what a good dog she is. But the thing about China is that she is a Rottweiler. And thanks to any movie that features someone sneaking into a junk yard or other locale that requires late night protection but can't afford a security guard, Rottweilers have gotten a bad rap. It's not her fault that she can take down a running punk with her powerful build, or that her razor-sharp teeth are perfect for hauling delinquents off of chain-link fences.

Now, Baby didn't know all these stereotypes (because her precious little brain is only to be fried by Baby Einstein or VeggieTales). What she did know was that suddenly, there was a very large animal in the room...an animal that would, on occasion, look at Baby. Of course, Baby's reaction was to immediately do this:

Climb up Grampa (at an amazing speed, no less) and wrap herself securely around his head.

While Grampa didn't mind protecting little Baby from Big Bad Doggie, the child had to get used to seeing China every day. Screaming fits of panic and terror are only acceptable coming from me. We worked with Baby. Boo and Boy happily pet China, played with her, and even laid on her (while Baby watched from atop the tallest person in the room). Eventually, Baby stopped the screaming, then the tears, then the scaling of people.

Finally, on the second to last day of my parents' month-long visit, a miracle occurred: Baby willingly touched China. China, sensing a change in the area around her lower back, turned her head to take a look...and Baby went screaming for the nearest head.

Oh, well. Maybe next trip.

The Boy Brings Me Joy

And yes, I like that my title is a cheesy little rhyme.

Here are two recent happenings that just make me want to squeeze my little mini man and never let go!

We were getting ready for a family trip and I had him pick out four favorite movies to bring in the car.

His selections:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Star Wars: A New Hope

My Little Pony: Friends Are Never Far Away

Then, just tonight, after the kids were in pajamas, we said family prayer. When the prayer ended, instead of saying "amen," the Boy indignantly pointed out that the little penguin tag was missing from his pajamas.

Boy: The penguin is gone!

Me: Boy -

Boy: It's supposed to be right here! (emphatically patting wrist)

Me: Boy -

Boy: It's gone! (Much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth)

Me: ...

Boy: (sniffles)

Me: First of all, your pajamas are on inside-out.

Boy: Oh.

Girls are fun but I sure am glad I have my Boy.

Muffin Tin Monday Swap

Remember how I like to join swaps? But instead of going for one every now and then, I like to sign up for a whole bunch at once? Well, the latest one arrived in the mail yesterday. And can I just tell you how nice it was to get a package in the mail, especially on a day when I had a terrible cold and the only productive thing I could manage was to not eat the entire bag of Oreos...

This one was hosted by Muffin Tin Mom, who every Monday, features kids' lunches served in muffin tins, with each compartment holding something different. Lots of the participants get creative and have items that start with the same letter or have a theme (like smallest to largest). Really great ideas! In this swap, we were supposed to exchange items for use in MTMonday, which could be muffin tins, liners, picks, recipes, or sandwich and cookie cutters. Also, we were encouraged to make/craft at least one item to send to our partner.

My partner was the lovely Stacy F. She has a private blog so I can't link you but trust me when I tell you she is a sweetheart. Before the swap, she asked me what the kids like so she could make it more fun for them. Well, Boo is very into bugs right now. Boy loves cars. And Baby loves just about anything I'll let her stick in her mouth.


Off to a good start...


Oh, the goodies! She sent me...

• Two sandwich cutters (the green square and blue star)
• Bamboo picks (which look very exotic and I'm sure will make eating peas a lot more fun)
• BUG picks (Boo has already demanded that I stick these in everything she eats...they don't work so well in cereal)
• ABC picks (Boy wants me to spell his name at every meal)
• Colored plastic picks (I sent her some of those, too...great minds must think alike)
• Race car cookie cutters (the Boy's head nearly exploded and he asked if he could take them to bed with him last night)
• Adorable little glasses (the kids are already fighting over them: Boo wants pink, Boy wants blue, and Baby thinks they are all hers)
• Fun star trim for accents

Thank you, Stacy F.! You did a great job. And thanks to Muffin Tin Mom for hosting the swap. Now go check out the concept of Muffin Tin Mondays and see some of the other swap stuffs.

Do You Smell Cookies?

The other day I am killing some time at the mall, so I stopped into Bath and Body Works. I'm getting low on my favorite body spray. And wouldn't you know it...they discontinued my scent. Again.

It's not like I'm picky about what I smell like. Wait, that's not all true. I kinda am particular. See, I like to smell like food. Vanilla, specifically. When I left for college, I outgrew "Poison" and "Eternity." Since then, I've picked vanilla-scented fragrances. (It that a redundant phrase?) Mostly, they come from Bath and Body Works because they have good stuff and some crazy awesome sales. But they also have a habit of stopping production of my favorites. Just when I found the perfect scent for me -- Vanilla Noir -- they go and cancel it. Good thing I had stocked up at their last sale but now I am in a bind.

I peruse their remaining scents. Orange Sapphire was intriguing but not me; it smelled too much like orange punch that got spiked. Sensual Amber made me gag (and snicker because I have friends named Amber, not all of whom are sensual). And Cumber Melon is just gross, gross, gross. The sales-cutie tries to assist me but I am pretty much just throwing a tantrum over losing my regular perfume. No, I didn't want Warm Vanilla Sugar. I wanted Vanilla Noir, dang it!

I leave the store and comfort myself with some chocolate-covered marzipan (now, there's a scent idea!) while pouting. Why did I like the vanilla scent so much anyway? It's like I was emotionally attached to a bottle of stink. Kinda ridiculous.

My affair with the vanilla scents started when dating got serious. I was no longer looking for a potential make-out session but marriage material. So why did I want to constantly smell like food? Was I trying to get to a man's heart through his stomach, by way of his nostrils? Was I trying to make spending time with me as enjoyable as eating a cinnamon roll? Maybe was it a promise of what our life would be like together: I might not be perfect but I can bake you into bliss.

I've found the man (and fattened him to ecstasy), so why the vanilla? Even now, I've been known to dab a little almond extract behind my ears. Hey, I decorate cakes sometimes. I use that all the time so it's handy, more so than that stuff clear up all those stairs in my room. I guess, now you could say that instead of enticing a man, I'm looking for potential customers.

It's like the cliche: "You can't trust a skinny cook." You can't choose a cake decorator who doesn't smell like baked goods. I've just adjusted my flirting to advertising.

600 Zombies

Lately, it seems like zombies are already taking over the world. Or at least my world. And since I am the center of the universe, it affects everyone. And really, if there was a zombie invasion, wouldn't you want to know about it?

Innocently enough, it started with Facebook. One day, we might discover that the fall of mankind began with a status update, but in my case, it was flair. Flair is a collection of clever/funny/mushy/serious images and sayings in the shape of buttons. Like those you might wear on your rainbow-colored suspenders. I found one that was clever and cute and oh so innocent:

Things started to snowball from there.

I read "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan while we were camping down in Moab...causing me to have zombie-induced nightmares the entire trip.

As if wiggling in a sleeping bag out in the middle of the wilderness isn't enough, reading about a girl running through the wilderness being chased by zombies isn't conducive to a good night's sleep. I liked the story, but because of the nightmares, I won't read the sequel. At least, not unless it's full daylight outside, all access points to my house are barricaded, and I can hold a baseball bat in my free hand.

Then my favorite radio station recently fired all the djs and now only plays 90s music. So I've heard the Cranberries' "Zombie" quite a bit lately. A teenaged acquaintance was horrified that I didn't know Rob Zombie's music. And after listening to it, I think I was better off oblivious.

Sadly, one of my favorite Twilight-themed blogs went dormant but I still like to peruse the entries. The last post? One that explains how Edward wouldn't be nearly as desirable if he were one of the living dead. True enough. As if sparkling wasn't enough of a turn-off, attempting to eat my brains during a make-out session would definitely kill the moment.

One of my can't-decide-if-I-really-like-it-but-I-can't-stop-watching movies is Shaun of the Dead.

Thinking this was a silly comedy, I made the mistake of trying to watch this while the Man was out of town. At night. With no viable weapons in the house (we don't own a Cricket bat) and surrounded by plate glass windows just begging to be smashed by decaying limbs.

Now, I see zombies everywhere...in other books, casual mentions on tv, otherwise innocent conversations, and even in the mirror when I have to wake up extra early to get the kids ready for the Fourth of July parade. It's inevitable. The zombies are coming.

The final straw arrived in my email the other morning:

Oh my...

During a zombie invasion, what would you do to survive?

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

I've been feeling the need to make a few changes around here lately. Some of those changes involve LED lighting in interesting locations.

Others are caused by frogs.

I like them. I wonder how long it will take for the Man to notice. I did these things while he was out of town...kinda like when I let Boo get a hamster. While he doesn't exactly fear change, the Man really resists it. Especially changes in things that he doesn't really care about, like curtains and wall paint. Or the kids' bathroom. But I feel these changes are necessary. After all, this is our house. We're not renting or house-sitting or squatting. So why not make it into a place where we'd like to live?

My very next post will be #600. Of course, that doesn't include the ones I've deleted...but still. Quite the milestone. I probably won't celebrate it. Well, maybe just a little. With chocolate. Keep an eye out for a review/giveaway to come!

What changes do you want to make in your house?

Patriotic Gifting

Remember how I signed up for Mamarazzi's Red White and Blue Swap? My partner was the lovely Kellyn from Fritz Facts. Her package arrived on a day when I was feeling the need for a little extra lift...


Oh, this is off to a good start! I love when everything is individually wrapped! Makes me feel like it's my birthday or Christmas or the National Day of Me.


Wanna know why I love swaps so much? This is why! Look at this great stuff!
Blue water bottle. Handy for the Couch to 5k program.
Craft magazine with Fourth of July projects.
Fourth of July notepad. Magnetic! It's already up on the side of my fridge.
Red nail polish. Just got my toes painted blue and I'm about a white as a girl can get so I'm looking very patriotic.
Sharpies. Finally, I have a red one!
Target gift card. I knew I liked this woman! She and I would totally be BFFs.
Blue Eclipse gum. Kids love this.
Red journal. So pretty! I guess I better hurry and fill up my other one so I can start in on this beauty.
Striped star. Already hanging in my Americana bathroom, it's too perfect.

Thank you, Kellyn, for being such a fun partner! And next time I make it out to your neck of the woods, we will have to bond as we stroll the aisles of Target.