Having a Bad Day

See? I'm not the only that has a bad day every now and then...

That's Baby sitting in the Time Out corner. And for the record, I did not send my 21-month-old to Time Out. She put herself there. She was frustrated and ran crying to the corner. I'm guessing she has watched her siblings go through the same thing on multiple occasions: whenever they're throwing a fit, they go to Time Out. Even Mommy has a Time Out sometimes...although mine usually involve locking myself in my room and eating chocolate.

And now I have Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" stuck in my head. I tried to embed the video here but YouTube won't let me use the real one.

Big meanies.

Maybe they need a Time Out.

Just Shoot Me

Blogging Diva Kristina P. is having a Blog Carnival.

What's a Blog Carnival? It's where everyone uses the same topic/theme and posts on their blogs, leaving a link on the main site.

What's Kristina's theme? Glamour Shots.


That's right. Those cheesy, overly-made-up pictures that you paid way too much for in high school just to prove to yourself that underneath your average exterior, you were a smoking hot babe. Or maybe that was just me.

My parents gave me Glamour Shots for my 16th birthday. I was very, VERY excited. We went to the local mall that was currently infested with a studio and my "stylist" took over. I had a male stylist, which I thought was odd. The older lady in the chair next time mine had hair so fine that her stylist had pushed all of the hair in the back to the front with big plastic clips in order to get decent results. Meanwhile, my stylist is nearly swearing over at my massive locks and their inability to hold a curl.

Then came the photo shoot.

They had racks of shirts and wraps to choose from but my stylist picked for me (I was too overwhelmed by the choices and would have opted for whatever was sparkliest...or maybe he saw what I was wearing when I arrived and decided -- correctly -- that I had no fashion sense). Then, in the middle of the shoot, he announces that I need to wear his sunglasses for some pictures. They were some expensive brand so I was instructed to be really, really careful. Like my overly long lashes might scratch them or something. And in this particular photo, the photographer had me all posed with my arms up in my hair when he decides my zipper is too high. He glances around the studio, probably looking for my parents, and then slides the zipper down to somewhere around my belly button.

After assessing his near-defrocking, he asks "How old are you?"

When I tell him I'm sixteen, he reaches back over and zips me up a respectable height.

Afterward, I wanted to walk the mall, show off my powder-coated hotness. That was when I ran into a couple boys from my school. They grinned and said hi and then one of them asked for my name. They didn't even recognize me! I took the opportunity to haughtily inform them that I went to their school and then stormed off. That. Was. Awesome.


And I'm done. Go see the others pictures or join in on the fun!

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.

What is this?

I've noticed these objects all around town...attached to fences or poles like this one. But what are they? What do they do?


Since I don't know what they are, I let my anxiety go all wacko over their potential purposes. No, really...it's fun! For instance, they could be detection devices, that record passersby identity by reading the microchip that we were all implanted with when we thought we were getting a vaccine (thank you X-Files!). Or maybe they are detection devices but they're looking for people listening to bad music...that's why your favorite song goes fuzzy on the radio...they're trying to protect you from yourself. Or perhaps it's not a detector, but a beacon, letting the circling alien mother ships know they have successfully assimilated themselves into our world and are awaiting further instructions. But it could be nothing at all like that. In fact, this could very well be just like a geocache, but instead of using multi-million-dollar satellites to find tupperware hidden in the woods, you get points for placing these in the most random locations.

And if you don't know what it is, take a guess!

My Wild Life

One of my favorite things about going camping and getting outdoors is seeing the wildlife. It's exciting and sometimes a little scary. When I was a kid, we went camping a LOT. Yellowstone was a frequent destination. In fact, I was there when it was burning in 1988. I've seen buffalo, elk, deer and moose. I've caught site of wolves and coyotes. But in all those years, I'd never seen a bear, just the tracks they left behind after sniffing over our campsite. For your viewing pleasure, I've collected the pictures I took of the various forms of wildlife on this particular trip. Please hold your applause until the end.


Buffalo seem like bigger, slower-witted versions of cows. But they can be very aggressive. Just ask the buffalo that was clogging traffic but threatened to gore any car that tried to pass him. Imagine my horror when an Asian mother was instructing her two kids to go stand by the grazing buffalo so she could get a good picture! I was glad there was a park ranger on hand to stop them from getting too close!


Elk are a fairly common site, especially in the hour between dinner and the kids' bedtime. We were staying just outside the North Entrance, so every evening we passed through Mammoth, a small touristy town by the Mammoth Springs. And every night, we slowed to a crawl to join the other tourists gawking at the elk that took over the grassy lawns. Elk tend to ignore people but get to close and they head for the hills. Then there was this guy:


You might notice through our bug-spattered windshield that he is running down the center of the road - right towards us! He had been cantering along until we rounded the corner. We slowed to a stop but he started running, even lowered his antlers to charge our van! At the last minute, he decided against attacking the Japanese auto industry and veered to the side. Still...it was pretty freaky!


For the past 29.95* years of my life, I'd never seen a bear outside a zoo. On this trip, we saw three (and one of those was rumored to have two cubs but I didn't see them). THREE!!! This one was close enough to the road that the Man isn't even using the zoom here. Grandma and Grandpa G, I bet you're wishing you hadn't passed on going to the Petrified Tree!


One evening, on our way back home, traffic was horrible. If there's not a park ranger and someone sees something remotely interesting, then people start stopping on the road, leaving their cars to go and stare. They don't always know what they're looking at but they don't want to miss a chance to see a chipmunk. Such was the case then. Except these weren't chipmunk. They were wolves. At least one adult and more than a couple pups. It was fun to watch the pups jumping and leaping, playing with each other. What? Can't you see them in the picture? Okay, hang on...


Had to put my mad Photoshop skills to use. Try not to envy my talents. I really wish I had thought to use the movie function...

Last but not least, my favorite large animal: the Moose.


Here we see him in his natural habitat, calmly holding still, as if he takes no notice of us, as if he weren't even alive! Okay, so this is a stuffed moose I got for Baby. We didn't get to see a real one. I was kinda bummed about that but, hey! Now I can say we were charged by an elk and saw BEARS!! Real bears! No "teddy" or nothing!

*Because for all intents and purposes, I will forever remain 29.95 plus shipping and handling.

Happy Birthday, Boo!

Six years ago was an interesting day.

Six years ago, our first child was born after 24 hours of unsuccessful labor and then a c-section.


Six years ago, I fell in love with someone I had been waiting years to meet.


Six years ago, I didn't know someone so small could be so important.


Six years ago, I underestimated small children while overestimating myself.


Six years ago, I had no imagination and couldn't draw a horse if my life depended on it.


Six years ago, my best friend was an adult, not a little girl.

Six years ago, I wondered about this day...about who she would become and whether I was up to the task.

Six years later, I still wonder who she will become and whether I am ready for her to keep growing up.

Happy Birthday, Boo!

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Today was an historic day in the Cow household: Da Boo started kindergarten! I thought I would really feel the pregnancy hormones and be all weepy. Nope! Maybe it was because da Boo was so excited to be going...

Don't get me wrong. Last night, she was in tears, begging us to not send her to school but things changed this morning. She wanted her "very best friend" to ride to school with her the first day (I offered to drive) but he was pretty excited about riding the bus and turned down the invitation. So I called our neighbor who also had a daughter in da Boo's class. My neighbor is a veteran mother and had some wise advice for me. She suggested that instead of driving my daughter to school (and catering to her fears of the bus), that she ride the bus where she would already have friends and then I drive to the school and meet her when she gets off so I can walk her to class. Genius, I tell you! Genius! She gets the experience of riding the bus with the security of having Mom at school. Once she heard that the neighbor girl wanted Boo to sit next to her on the bus, my girl was all grins and excitement. Whew...


The short trek to the bus stop. Hrmmm...where have I seen this before?


Oh yes...three years ago, on the first day of our little neighborhood preschool. She hasn't gotten much taller since then. But if you look back at that top photo, you'll see the Boy and his best buddy running ahead of the kindergarteners. It was at this point that the Boy decided to void his bladder (although he had gone to the bathroom not twenty minutes before). So we had to hussle back home while Boo continued with her friend.


So dang cute! I made a deal with her: I got to pick her outfit one day and she could choose the next day. I called dibs on the first day. I'm a little nervous about what she might choose tomorrow...


This has got to be my favorite picture! She got on the bus all by herself (although she probably could have used a boost) and was all giggles with her friends.

The Boy and I trudged home. It was time for him to be a pirate. After that, I let him watch a tv show that da Boo doesn't like. Then we baked cookies for her after-school treat. He thought this was awesome.


And she's back! Somehow, my day was a little less full and silly without da Boo around. And the verdict? She loved kindergarten! Recess was her favorite part of the day (of course) and she was amazed as she reported "Mommy! None of the kids were mean to me!"

Fourth of July!

Well, my house is starting to smell normal. He's even gotten the hang of all forms of...elimination? In a moment of weakness/stress/duress/madness, I promised the Boy that the first time he used the potty for the solid stuff, we would celebrate by going to Chuck E. Cheese, a place he talks about all the time since our first trip. So, looks like we're headed there Monday night. That's like the good news and the bad news.

For the Fourth, we headed to Downtown Provo for the parade. It's pretty much a tradition and the kids are getting to the age where they really enjoy it. In fact, this is what they looked like for the duration:

Here's da Boo's favorite things about the Fourth of July:

I let her get her face painted on two different days (once again, the bestest Mommy evah). Both times she requested a unicorn. It was a first for both of the face painters. She was more than pleased with the results. And we all already know how obsessed she is with horses so her parade favorite was a no-brainer.

For the Boy, slightly different tastes:

Those of you who were with us in South Dakota may remember the constant streams of "gummy guys" (aka: army guys said by an overly-excited 3-year-old) so he was ecstatic to see more of them. Also, he loved the cannon that they set off to signal the end of the parade, although it made him jump about a foot every time. And? He used a port-a-potty while there! Even I would rather hold it instead of use one of those but he thought it was a new adventure or he just really, really had to go.

My favorites?

I've always loved bag pipes. In fact, when I die and you come to my funeral, there had better be a bag piper playing Amazing Grace or I expect you to give the Man heck about that, okay? And the fireworks are just too fun. We've gotten the big box from the local grocery store for years. Usually, we'll split it up between the Fourth and Pioneer Day. In the flames you can see the carcasses of our previous festivities.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of the local fireworks display, as they moved it blocks away. Seems that the high school football was rather sensitive about explosives being launched from their new football field. Oh, come on! Those craters and burn circles would just add character! Might even intimidate the other team, send them wonder what plays are used that cause flames.

Overwhelmed

I have the greatest friends and neighbors! Shortly after my last post was published, my doorbell rang. It was a very lovely woman who I am lucky enough to count as a friend. She immediately filled my arms with the makings for dinner and breakfast tomorrow as well as some yummy treats. I wanted to kiss her but her husband might get jealous so I just cried instead.

Then another friend insisted I bring the kids over Saturday morning to play so I could rest. I resisted but she was pretty adamant. I'm glad I let her help me because Saturday was by far the worse day yet. I have something like a weird combination of a chest cold, allergies and the flu. I returned home with visions of hot uninterrupted showers filling my head...only to promptly spew all over the kitchen. So the first half hour of "me" time was spent cleaning the kitchen floor.

I ended up calling in reinforcements after that. Aunt Denise came over after naptime and stayed until after bedtime. She ran the kids around outside while I passed out in bed. She made dinner while I sat and read a book. She cleaned my kitchen while I laid on the couch with a cold compress on my eyes. She dunked the dirty kids in the bathtub while I...actually, I don't remember what I did but I am sure I was useless. She is wonderful! And the best part? My children are still alive and did not need to be strapped to their beds.

Yet another friend is bringing me dinner tonight. (She is notoriously a healthy eater and I am not...so I told her she could bring me dinner as long as it wasn't healthy. She'll probably find some sneaky, tasty way to make me eat vegetables anyway.)

So those are my good overwhelmings...let me tell you the not-so-good.

Friday night the entire family was invited to a birthday party...at Chuck E. Cheese (did mothers everywhere just groan at the mention of that name?). Now, I knew that someday, I would have to enter that establishment so my kids could have the experience. I have fond memories of the place from when I was a kid. I hoped that the Man would have also been a part of that, so that way we could each chase a kid around. Not to be. The Man is gone away, leaving me for networks and servers and hubs and a bunch of other stuff that I don't understand but pays our bills. Still, it wouldn't have been such a bad thing if not for a couple factors: I had a painful cough and quickly ran out of cough drops, the party table was located right next to a gigantic speaker that constantly blared annoying "party" music as played by the robotic band on stage, and the Boy taking "freak out" to a whole new level on his very first game there.

To mark the occasion (discovering yet another ring in my personal hell), I had the kids sit in the car that takes your picture.


The Boy wanted to know who this person was beside him that kept talking to him. He decided Chuck was okay, since he never tried to grab the steering wheel.


Da Boo had been pulled away from her buds to get her picture taken so she was a little less excited about it, as can been seen in her ultra-posed smile.

After getting them in bed that night, I virtually collapsed. No wonder Saturday was so much harder. The good news? I have a doctor's appointment Monday morning! That's less than 24 hours away! Yipppeeee!

Petting the Wind

A good friend and I have a standing play date. We try to get the kids together once a month and do something fun outside the house. This time, we visited a local petting farm.

The morning had an ominous start. The Man called to inform me that he had both sets of car keys in his pocket. I guess I need to start buying him tighter jeans if two wads of metal bits don't phase him. And being the big meanie that I am, I made him drive home and give me back my keys. He arrived just about the time we were getting ready to head out. The Man casually mentioned that the wind was blowing rather strong up by his office. Should have listened a little better.

We arrive and the place is pretty empty. Usually, it's packed. Yet another sign we ignore. Then we tried opening the doors. Ooooooh boy. Now that was an experience. The wind was blowing so hard that the kids had a difficult time walking forward, we had to support them from behind. As quickly as possible, we get inside the building. Then begins the debate: stay or go? The kids are far too stoked about seeing animals to leave here without tears and possibly screaming. Shucks. The attendant assures us that the main building offers a wind break with only the furthest reaches being windy. We decide to go for it.


Here the kids greet a distant relative. Wind is not bad at all! Glad we grabbed jackets, though.


These pygmy goats were about the cutest things there...besides the kids, of course.


And of course, the pony rides. Life would no longer be worth living if da Boo didn't get to ride the ponies. Da Boo is riding Lacy and the Boy is on Nutmeg (although I strongly suspect the male attendant made up those names just to appease me). Surprisingly, it was the Boy who threw the biggest fit when the ride was over.

We couldn't stop to see the various poultry because the wind was just too much over in that section but I did get to admire some beautiful horses. Then, I'd had enough of their attitude so I put the kids in jail.

Da Boo said she was in for stealing the farmer's horse and the Boy said he was guilty of being stinky (which is often the case).

Instead of enjoying a leisurely picnic at the petting farm, we fed the kids in the car on the way back home. I got to eat my lunch at stoplights. Then it was time for naps! Woot!

As If My Kids Aren't Hyper Enough

We took the kids to Kangaroo Zoo last week. They go nuts about this place so I didn't tell them we were going until the night before. Even at breakfast, they were super hyper, begging to leave immediately. We left after lunch (because I like to torture them).


This is a pretty cool place, full of bounce houses, slides and other inflatable fun things (although I don't think anyone working there has heard the concept of "dusting"). The first time we came, they were nearly paralyzed with joy but this time they were off running. One of their favorite things is a sea monster with other inflated sea creatures (picture above).


Here's da Boo, having a great time on another slide, followed closely by the Boy.


And here's the Boy...crying. He looks so little way up there...Then there's the 2 story tall slides. Da Boo loves these. The Boy does not. However, he follows her blindly and it's only when he's up at the very top that he remembers "Oh yes, I am terrified of heights." Well, that's probably what he says mentally but to everyone is just sounds like hysterical shrieking. I have to send da Boo up to try and talk him down (ie: grab his hand and try to haul him down the slide with her).

See this couch?


Very cool, no? It's possibly the most uncomfortable thing you've ever sat on - provided you haven't actually sat on a bed of nails. Hard, stiff plastic made to look like a comfy couch is just another way of lying. Kinda like breast implants.

So at one point, I'm just sitting around chatting (because it's what I do best) when this chunky lady with weird hair comes up to me.

"Your son is hitting my daughter," she informs me as my son hides behind my legs.

I kinda ignore her and grab my boy. "Are you hitting little girls?" I try to ask him but he wiggles free and runs away. I turn to shrug my shoulders at the other woman but she is already walking away. And I think she rolled her eyes. Still, punching other kids ain't cool, so I occasionally stroll around the place to keep on eye on the kid. Sure enough, I watch him push a little girl down a slide that he was waiting to go down. Uh oh. Hope that wasn't that lady's girl. Oops...looks like it was...here she comes again. I'll just escort my boy out of the way...Crisis averted. Then moments later, I am circling the area again, looking for my kid when I notice the other mom. I glance over where's she looking just in time to see my son haul a bigger kid down from a ladder. The bigger kid doesn't take to kindly to that and punches my kid something fierce. Mine goes down for the count, wailing pitifully. The other mom almost chuckles as she strolls away! That does it...we're leaving!

Just in case you were wondering...that last story is told from the "other mom's" perspective. It's an effort to put myself in her shoes, I suppose. And yes, my hair did look weird that day.

Easter Fun

Saturday morning, the kids and I headed up to the local chapel for the traditional breakfast and egg hunt. This year, they separated the age groups, which I thought was a great idea. I'd rather taking pictures of my kids happily collecting eggs instead of tearfully picking themselves up after yet another bigger kid knocks them down in all the excitement.

Breakfast was served. Pancakes, sliced strawberries, whipped cream, fruit, and sweet rolls. Just as I was getting the kids their pancakes, someone set down two boxes of donuts. Score! There was also Clarabelle, the Easter cow (apparently, no bunny costumes were available). The kids were pleased to see a relative.


Finally, it was time for the eggs! First, the little kids.


They had taken the eggs for the youngest group and basically left them in piles. Also a good idea! Because really? Most kids the Boy's age don't really understand the concept of hunting for eggs. They just pick up whatever they happen across, even if it's not an egg...

Then the middle group.


Da Boo was on the lower end of this group but she held her own and made me proud. She got a little upset when an older friend tried to help her find eggs. She's a whooping five now...she can find her own eggs, dang it! After this group, they unleashed the older kids as a sort of clean-up crew, finding the eggs that had been missed by the younger crowd. Afterwards, there were fun games, like an egg relay, egg toss and seeing how many peeps you could stuff in your mouth at once. No, I didn't play them. But when we headed home, the record was 13 peeps.

The Co-ed's New Wheels

With her mother visiting, the Co-ed has been out shopping quite a bit. Of course, her birthday is coming up so her mom wanted to get her something special. My mother-in-law decided to get her darling daughter a new mode of transportation for going to school, to work and home again. The Co-ed is the baby of the family. And the baby is always spoiled, especially if it's a girl. Check out the Co-ed's new wheels:


I totally dig the helmet.

Also, with my mother-in-law visiting, I haven't had to cook hardly at all with the Man out of town. Does re-heating my restaurant leftovers for lunch the next day count as cooking? I'm gonna say yes.

Edit: I have a new cake posted!

Product Review: Chicago Cupcakes Tray Two

Shall we skip the intro and get to it? In order as they appear in the tray...

Tray Two:

Cherry Almond

This was the Co-ed's first choice and consequently, the first cupcake we tried. It smelled heavenly! The cake was vanilla and the frosting was cherry almond flavored, of course. These cupcakes were not very tall at all, around 1 1/2 inches, and were topped with a good 2-3 inches of frosting.

Co-ed: Frosting tastes like ice cream. 6
Aunt D: Lots of frosting. The Boy was happy to assist her with any she was unable to finish. 7
Me: I thought the cake tasted a lot like shortbread but was a little disappointed that there wasn't more flavor. 6

PBJ

Peanut butter cake with raspberry jelly frosting! There was also a chocolate-dipped potato chip on top. Rather clever!
Co-ed: Tastes just like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! 8
Aunt D: Really liked the frosting. 7
Me: I thought the peanut butter cake was really good. 8

Classic Yellow

Don't hate us but we couldn't do it...we couldn't dig our forks into another cupcake. So we awarded this one immune and called it a night. The Co-ed took one of these home and told me today that it was really good. Also, da Boo declared these her favorite because they looked just like the cupcakes described in one of her Junie B. Jones books: fluffy white frosting with rainbow sprinkles.

Malt Ball

Aunt Denise selected this one to try. She got to eat the malt ball on top. And sadly, this was a nice chocolate cupcake with plain vanilla frosting. The only thing malt about it was the candy decoration on top.
Co-ed: Tastes like a regular cupcake. 4
Aunt D: Expected a malt flavor, disappointed. 5
Me: Has a name like Malt Ball but with vanilla frosting? Doesn't make sense. 5

And that's it! Those are the cupcakes! There were more than a dozen leftover, even after I sent the Co-ed and Aunt Denise home with some. I took the rest to a dinner party tonight where we had a mini taste test. Double Chocolate is the clear winner. PBJ and Red Velvet were well liked, too. The Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and Malt Ball got the lowest scores, although the cheesecake one was a favorite tonight. (Read about Tray One here.)

Thank you to Molly for hosting the contest where I won these cupcakes. It was a lot of fun to try them out. They were so beautiful to look at and rather tasty, too. And I have a new cake posted.