Adventures in Carpooling

Noah's 8th birthday!

2011-10-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this cute little kid is now 8?! I know! Crazy, right?

Zach gave Noah this giant tub of cheese balls, which Noah adored. Is that brotherly love or what?

Happy Birthday, Noah! We love you!

In case you were wondering...

2011-07-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Thelma had another check up today and has made a complete recovery.

(Plus she's down several pounds, which in her case is a good thing.)

As a reward for being so good during her appointment, we walked her over to the adoption center in PetSmart and let her drool over the cats.

The $450 bag of chocolate chips...

2011-07-28T13:48:00.015-07:00

A few weeks ago in church, one of the men brought cookies to share - yummy cookies that Nate came home and gushed about.

(And Nate's not even a 'cookie person', so that's really saying something.)

Cookies with Andes' mints melted on top, he told me.

Cookies so rich and so chocolatey, in fact, he wouldn't stop talking about them until I promised I'd get the recipe.

So I Googled it.

And HERE it is.

Source: food.com via Natalie on Pinterest

And they were truly amazing!

Amazing enough that I considered keeping the recipe all to myself so that only I would know how to replicate their delicate goodness and other people would think I'm the *ultimate cookie baker*.

And then I felt guilty for my selfishness, because something that awesome needs to be shared.

So, naturally I posted it on Facebook, because that's what you do when you want to get the word out to 247 of your closest friends.

And when Nate and I went to Costco the other day I tossed a $10 4-pound bag of semi-sweet Nestle Morsels into our cart without batting an eye so I could make many, many more of these delightful cookies.

So, yesterday morning when I heard the familiar crinkling sound of a plastic bag from the other room, a sound fairly common around here thanks to a faulty door latch on our pantry, I really wasn't surprised to walk in and find Thelma with something. She does it often, but she usually can't open bags and brings them to me hoping I'll help her out.

Silly dog.

However I was surprised yesterday to see it was the large bag of chocolate chips I'd just bought and that not only had she managed to open the bag, she was gleefully inhaling the contents.

My first thought:

'NO!!!!!! That crazy dog's defiling my chocolate!!'

(and then my second thought)

'Wait, isn't chocolate supposed to be poisonous to dogs?'

And so I Googled that. And turns out it is. Especially really large amounts of semi-sweet chocolate that come out of 4-pound bags.

Trying to get a good idea of just how much chocolate the Beast had inhaled, I weighed the remainder of the bag on my kitchen scale and realized there were only 3 pounds left.

In a matter of minutes, 'man's best friend' had snarfed down a pound of 'woman's best friend'.

And Thelma had the biggest grin on her face to prove it.

So I called the vet who instructed me to haul my chocolate gobbling dog into her office right away.

Chocolate has this chemical called theobromine that increases the heart rate and can lead to seizures, coma, and death. The darker the chocolate, the higher the level of theobromine.

Because of her little chocolate buffet, Thelma had to spend 8 hours at the pet hospital guzzling a hydrogen peroxide solution to induce massive vomiting, and later charcoal, to absorb leftover toxins. She also had her heart rate and liver monitored, and was hooked up to an IV.

When she finally got home, drained and exhausted, she guzzled some water and promptly barfed up inky black solution in several places on the carpet and tile.

She awoke at 4:00 this morning vomiting in her crate, this time tinged with blood. I cleaned it up and laid a towel down for her to lie on, and Nate said a prayer for her while I cried.

Before long, she perked up, headed downstairs and stood in front of her bowl, begging for food. (That's the Thelma we know and love.)

Another check up at the vet this morning, and she's doing much better. Her heart rate is normal but she's on a medication for a few days to help her stomach heal.

And the bill?

$440.

(And that's because she has the health benefit plan, otherwise it would be more.)

Moral of the story? Learn from my mistake. If you have a pet, treat chocolate like you would a cleaning solution or prescription and keep it up and out of reach. If you have a giant dog, that might mean putting it on a top shelf.

I also spent the morning learning how to make the latch on my pantry door close properly by sanding the strike plate with my Dremel, thanks to YouTube.

And Thelma?

Rumor has it she's officially sworn off chocolate.

The First Day of School

2011-07-28T12:00:00.001-07:00

After a relatively short summer, it's time for the kids to head back to school!

Noah was obviously super stoked.

In our anticipation of the first day we may have gotten to the bus stop a little too early.

Okay, A LOT too early.

Even Thelma was over the moon.

When the kids got home they couldn't stop talking over each other about how great the new school is and how excited they are about their new classes. Zach loves that there's a tech lab and Noah can't wait for some of the class parties he's going to have.

Here's to an incredible year!

A visit from the 'Hair Fairy'...

2011-06-07T10:17:00.002-07:00

Like half the boys in America right now, Zach's been growing out his lustrous locks for a while.

(Thanks a lot, Justin Bieber.)

Little old ladies the world over are insanely jealous. It usually takes a set of hot rollers, some serious backcombing, and at least one can of AquaNet to create this kind of body.

All he had to do was go to bed with wet hair.

(I promise, mere photos cannot convey the size of his giant head right now.)

You know, something about this look is really familiar though, I'm pretty sure I've seen it some place before...

A ha!

Warning: The following post contains violent and graphic images.

2011-02-15T19:18:00.007-07:00

Viewer discretion is advised.

Yeah, we realize it may be time to lay off the nature shows around here for a while.

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T16:52:00.006-07:00

I've said it here before, but for some reason I really love Valentine's Day. And I heard a rumor this might be Zach's last year to exchange valentines in school.

(Sniff sniff).

The heart says, "Valentine, I think you're KOOL."

Normally I'm not a fan of intentional misspelling, but this year I made an exception.

These suckers were heavy and had to be hauled into the classroom in a laundry basket.

Noah wanted to pass out these airplanes to his class.

Just 64 Lifesavers, 64 sticks of gum, 32 Smarties, and 32 rubber bands later, they were done.

Whew!

I showed the kids in Zach's class how to make these owl bookmarks during their class party. They thought they were great, and it was actually nice to realize there are kids who have a harder time following directions than my own children:

Me: "Okay, first take your brown owl body out of the baggie I gave you and put it on your desk. We're not gluing yet, okay? Then take the yellow chest piece and put it ON the brown body, but DON'T glue it just yet. We want to lay it all out FIRST before we glue anything to make sure we know what we're doing. Got it? Lay it out first..."

Random kid: "Hey, I glued mine wrong. Can I have another?"

Me: (Slapping my own forehead) "Sheesh."

Thelma decided to get in on the spirit of the holiday by taking a nap in the sunshine while lying on a chalk drawing on the back patio. When she came inside it took me a minute to figure out why she was Pepto Bismol pink!

(The photo doesn't do her bright pink hue justice because it was quite hysterical.)

We hope your Valentine's Day was happy! Thanks to the box of See's chocolates and dinner from Oregano's that Nate brought home, ours was!

I may just be losing it.

2011-02-09T14:48:00.001-07:00

After forgetting my son's dentist appointment last week and showing up for the newly scheduled appointment a week early this time around, THIS is how I left the house today to go on a run.

The shoe on the left is one of my normal running shoes and the shoe on the right was a Christmas gift from 2003 that's completely falling apart.

AND it took nearly two miles before I looked down and even noticed.

I'll bet you're feeling a lot better about yourself right now, aren't you?

Move over meatballs,

2011-02-03T17:16:00.004-07:00

Noah has a new favorite food...

Tilapia.

And we're just as stumped about it as you are. For years, this child has had a thing for meatballs.

An obsession, really.

And perhaps you haven't heard, but this kid is picky. How many children do you know that refuse to drink chocolate milk, despise having jam on their peanut butter sandwiches, and also pick the breading off their own chicken nuggets?

And yet, he enjoys FISH. And broccoli. In fact, earlier this week it was Tilapia Tuesday at our house (per his request), and since I wasn't home for dinner, Nate sent me this photo of Noah enjoying his favorite meal.

So I realize I must be doing something right...

Right?

But then, it could just be that Noah is truly an old soul stuck in a 7 year old body, because for a while, he really had a thing for bran flakes.

Curse you, Lay's Sour Cream & Onion potato chips...

2011-01-19T14:55:00.012-07:00

Curse you.

Curse you and your delicious, addicting crispiness that delicately melts in my mouth and eventually clutches with a death grip to my thighs.

Curse you and your irresistible pick up line: "No one can eat just one."

Because you're right...

and you know it.

Just like I know it.

The groaning scale in my bathroom knows it.

The discarded jeans I can no longer fit into know it.

You're so dangerous, I should have left you sitting there on the grocery store shelf when I first laid eyes on you and just walked away.

I knew better, because you didn't need me, and I definitely didn't need you.

And yet, you lured me in. I didn't even put up a fight.

I'd just hoped we could have a normal relationship like other people do, but obviously, we can't...we can't, because I just can't control myself around you.

I wish I could say 'it's not you, it's me' and really mean it, but we both know that's not true. It definitely is you.

You're such a fake. So you're made out of potatoes - that doesn't make you a vegetable. You can pretend all you want, but that sickening feeling I'm left with in the pit of my stomach when we've been together...it's obvious you're no good for me. You're not good for anyone.

I think it's best if we just part ways forever. Don't come looking for me because I don't want to see your festive green bag around here ever again.

You got that?

Good.

My first ever Half Marathon!

2011-01-16T17:31:00.008-07:00

Today I ran the PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona half marathon.

I didn't tell many people about it beforehand because I was afraid I might chicken out at the last minute and my training got sidetracked just a little (okay...A LOT).

Plus, I was a little worried I might end the race in a medical tent.

But, here's the proof that I actually finished and didn't die in the process.

And if anyone deserved a medal, it was my husband for coordinating the transportation, helping me locate the proper gear, and hauling two kids on and off the metro in downtown Phoenix and Tempe for hours to be there at the start and finish line!

Thanks, Sweetie!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T17:30:00.003-07:00

Another year has come and gone. Doesn't '2011' just look and sound strange?

So, it's time for yet another year-end running post.

In 2010, I managed to once again run 50 miles each month of the year, for total of:

614.91 miles!

And, when added to last year's 628.31 miles,
that means in the past two years
I've clocked a grand total of

1233.22 miles!

Yay me.

(Not bad for someone who was too chicken to try out for the track team, am I right?)

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-24T22:09:00.003-07:00

Wishing you a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from our family to yours!

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

- Luke 2:10-11

Crime and Punishment

2010-11-16T12:02:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I heard the familiar sound of water hitting my sliding glass door and walked over to discover water pouring off the roof of the house and shooting over the fence. My boys, despite distinctly being told not to, were playing with the hose once again.

I suppose I could unhook the hose and store it in the garage, but I've chosen to leave it where I need it because I keep hoping my kids will have the sense to listen to me when I tell them not to play with it.

They don't.

The message still hasn't set in despite multiple time-outs and revoked privileges.

So, yesterday, I tried a new consequence.

They wrote sentences. Over and over and over again.

"I will not turn on the hose without permission."

(Cruel perhaps, but report cards recently came out and they could both totally use the handwriting practice...)

The boredom of repetition lead to heavy sighing, and whining, and crying. At one point, one kid blurted out that he was "gonna die!" and the other child wound up in his room to complete his sentences after writing a few things OTHER than the assigned text.

When Nate arrived home from work, the now weary kids were still scrawling away and it became apparent that it was going to take more time to complete the assigned number of sentences than the short time we had left before bed.

Nate had a suggestion. He knew the punishment had been set and needed to be met, but wondered if he could help bridge the difference by writing some of the sentences himself. We discussed how it might make a good object lesson and agreed.

Nate got out his own paper and pencil and sat with the kids at the kitchen table writing sentences, trying to explain how, like the Savior, he would pay the price for a mistake he didn't make and help them make up the difference.

Did they truly understand the deep symbolism of the lesson we were trying to teach them?

I don't know; I hope so.

But I moved the hose just in case.

Better late than never...I guess.

2010-11-03T20:45:00.005-07:00

I first checked this out from the library years ago after hearing how great it was.

It wasn't.

So, I only ended up reading a few chapters before returning the book.

Soon it seemed like everyone I met was gushing over how AWESOME it was, so I figured it must get better further into the book, and checked it out again.

It didn't.

Then, seemingly everyone on earth was completely stoked over the fact that it was being turned into a movie and practically begged me to read it.

So, during a long flight layover two summers ago, I bought my very own copy of the book from the airport bookstore and tried to once again read what many considered to be 'the best book ever'.

A few more chapters into to it this time, and I realized...

it wasn't.

So after my trip, I put that book up on Craig's List and recouped some of the dough I'd shelled out for it.

Soon, everywhere I looked there were references to vampires. People were siding with Team Jacob or Team Edward. I learned who that pale, hairy guy is that everyone loved so much.

Once again, I dragged myself to the library to check out the dopey book everyone was now obsessed with.

I wasn't.

And once the movies made it into the theatre, I was invited to go see them with groups of girlfriends. Turning them down because I didn't know anything about the series made me a real buzz kill. I finally accepted the offer of my friend to borrow her DVD of the first book and watched what everyone on earth seemed to now be infatuated with.

I wasn't.

I went to see the second movie in the theater with those friends. And the third. And I marveled that not just teen girls, but actual grown women were mesmerized by the whole thing.

I wasn't.

So, one last time I gritted my teeth, and with great determination (and about a million renewals!) I finally sucked it up and read the damn thing, finishing just this morning, actually. I think I may qualify as the last person on earth to read the book.

And was it worth it?

Sorry, folks. It wasn't.

Happy Birthday, Noah!

2010-10-27T21:28:00.001-07:00

Seven years ago today, this little guy came to live with us:

And here's how he looks today:

Happy Birthday, Noah!

We love you so much!

Our favorite peanut butter cookies

2010-09-28T17:16:00.002-07:00

This is the recipe I always use to make peanut butter cookies, and has been since before I got married, so when I lost my copy of it, I panicked. I called each of my sisters asking for it. Apparently, I'm the only one who finds it to be THE golden standard by which all peanut butter cookies should be measured, because when I begged for it, one of them asked why I didn't just look for a different recipe.

Look for a different recipe?! (Surely she was joking!)

(Besides, I already had, and they'd turned out gross. Thanks A LOT, Martha Stewart!)

Since I keep losing my copy of the recipe, even after getting it repeatedly from my sisters, I decided to immortalize it forever here on the blog.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup peanut butter

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugars together, add eggs, and vanilla. Stir in peanut butter, then flour, baking soda, and salt.

Shape into small balls and place on baking sheet. Press a criss cross pattern into the top of each cookie using a floured fork, or cookie press, if you're super crafty like me.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

You want this. Trust me.

2010-09-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

Oh blessed day!

2010-08-15T16:29:00.002-07:00

Yes, it's my favorite time of year,

for once again...

SCHOOL is in session!

How can any mother be so cruel, so calloused, you may ask?

Perhaps it's because the following is a prime example of how things have been around here lately:

(Thelma seems quite relieved as well!)

Our trip to San Diego

2010-08-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

When 'teaching responsiblity' bites you in the butt...

2010-08-09T12:14:00.002-07:00

The other day I walked into the kitchen to find this:

What exactly is going on here? Our dog, Thelma, is eating dirt covered popcorn kernels off my kitchen floor.

And just how did that come to be?

I'll tell you!

Noah made himself some popcorn, (he's so independent, that kid), even remembering to dispose of the bag in the trash can without being told. (See the evidence?) After spilling a good portion of the popcorn on the family room floor, I asked him to clean it up.

And he did. He even independently operated the vacuum cleaner.

And after vacuuming up the popcorn, he decided it would be helpful to empty the canister of the vacuum cleaner into the already overflowing trashcan, popcorn, dirt, dog hair and all.

And this is how he left it.

So Thelma was pleased.

And I just keep on counting down the days until school starts...

Snickerdoodles on Sunday

2010-08-08T20:25:00.002-07:00

I dug out my old family recipe for Snickerdoodles to make with the kids today.

Snickerdoodles

1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Cream margarine and sugar. Add next 6 ingredients and mix well. In a separate small bowl combine 2 tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Shape dough into small balls and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture to coat.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

It's National Macaroni Day!

2010-07-07T22:00:00.005-07:00

And in celebration, we followed the directions HERE on Skip To My Lou to make our very own colored macaroni!

Once the macaroni had dried, Noah made this delightful self portrait:

And his second project he called "Macaroni USA":

Incredible, isn't it?
Can you believe he didn't even have to consult a map for reference?!

I made this enchanting butterfly and floral design.

And Zach, who didn't seem to want to play along, made this:

It's entitled, "The Macaroni"

How clever of him.

Our holiday festivities continued when we had "Handy Casserole" for dinner.

Handy Casserole gets its name from the fact that the ingredients are usually already in the kitchen. It's an old family recipe that I avoided making for the first 10 years of our marriage thinking Nate would think it was gross. Turns out, he totally loves it. And, I guess a lot of families have their own versions with different ingredients and names for it.

Handy Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can tomato soup

1 cup macaroni, cooked

1 cup shredded cheese

1 can corn, drained

Brown ground beef with onion. Mix soup, cooked macaroni, half of the cheese, and corn in an 8"x8" square dish or small casserole pan. Add ground beef and onion. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

So, how did YOU celebrate
National Macaroni Day with your family?

Oh, you didn't?

Well, that's a shame.

He gets by with a little help from his friends...

2010-06-24T13:48:00.003-07:00

I think this summer break has been really hard on Noah's social life. He's used to being the life of the party, surrounded by a group of friends waiting to hear his stories and laugh at his jokes.

He's resorted to hanging out with these guys:

And from what I hear, it's a tough crowd.

Three weeks of summer vacation down...

2010-06-18T15:11:00.005-07:00

Six more to go.

(Yes, I am totally counting.)

Hey, I totally get it.

2010-06-12T12:24:00.005-07:00

The very thought of cleaning does that to me too.

Feelin' Fancy!

2010-06-10T18:46:00.004-07:00

We've moved up in the world.

Nate installed these recently:

It doesn't take much to amuse me, does it?

Noah lost his first tooth

2010-06-02T16:21:00.006-07:00

Man, this little guy has had a lot going on lately.

Yesterday Noah finally lost his first tooth! He's been working on it for a while now, and even bravely tried the whole doorknob trick, but it just wasn't coming out.

All it ended up taking was a punch in the mouth from his older brother.

Imagine that.

Dear Stupid Pet Owner,

2010-05-25T14:03:00.015-07:00

Earlier this morning, your mangy mutt decided to join me, and my well groomed and properly leashed dog, Thelma, during the first mile of our run. I assure you as someone with previous dog bite experience - it is quite terrifying to see a large, loose canine lumbering toward you while out in a public area.

Once the dog had arrived and made his amicable intentions known, I paused my running and looked around to see if the owner (THAT'S YOU, DUMMY!) was anywhere in sight to retrieve this crossbreed.

When a responsible party was not to be found, Thelma and I proceeded along on our run, now ambitiously pursued by your foul beast.

Feeling somewhat responsible for unintentionally luring your dumb dog away from his familiar surroundings by my obviously friendly manner and the beautiful, buxom, blond bombshell of a dog that accompanied me, I hoped your dog would eventually grow tired and turn back home.

He did not.

In fact, he followed us.

For the next four miles.

And during those four miles, several people wrongfully assumed that the mangy mongrel shadowing me so closely was indeed mine and gave ME dirty looks for my utter irresponsibility as YOUR DOG dodged in front of their cars and defaced their yards.

Upon returning home, I had to shoo your degenerate mutt out of my garage to allow my own pet to enter my home. Because your dog appeared to have had quite a workout, I showed courtesy by offering him a bowl of cold water as he sat on my front porch panting for quite some time.

Hopefully, your scruffy pal found his way back to your residence and has been properly confined within an adequate enclosure that will prevent a repeat occurrence of the aforementioned event.

But I highly doubt this, since it's actually the second time this flea bag of yours has stalked us on while out on one of our runs.

The purpose of this letter, besides pointing our your complete lack of responsibility in your stewardship of one of God's creatures, is to inform you that you owe me $20 for today's dog walking services.

Please remit payment in the form of cash, money order, or a QuikTrip gift card.

Sincerely,

Natalie
(of Natalie's Professional Pet Walking Services, LLC)

(P.S. Please feed your poor dog more. He's ridiculously skinny. And a bath would totally help.)

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T21:15:00.001-07:00

Zach is 9 today!

2010-05-04T20:10:00.004-07:00

It's hard to believe that it was nine years ago that we brought home this cute little guy:

(Zachary, 2 days old.

Yes, seriously.

What newborn is this alert?)

And he turned into this cute little guy:

Happy Birthday, Zachary!

We love you so much!

How can you not smile...

2010-05-04T15:04:00.004-07:00

when you look at these little faces?

Zachary and Noah got to make these 'chia pets' at the last pack meeting, and they are pure entertainment in my book.

I might need to make a few of my own to play with, because I'm way too tempted to start snipping the 'hair' with some scissors myself!

Happy pictures

2010-04-05T14:04:00.005-07:00

Growing up, my family didn't take a lot of pictures.

It wasn't uncommon to have more than one Christmas on the same roll of film.

I'm glad we don't have that problem.

Really glad.

And now we take pictures just for fun.

How awesome is this? It's like Noah is suspended in the air!

I hope somebody called a 'wah-mbulance'...

2010-03-31T20:17:00.004-07:00

because that last post was pretty whiny.

And turns out it was completely unnecessary since I'm crazy stubborn.

I think I was looking for reasons to excuse why I didn't get my running in, and I could think of several, like all the rain we had this month, the fact that the kids were out for spring break, and then the whole phantom hip pain (seriously, it comes and goes) ...

But what it all really boiled down to sheer laziness and I realized I'm not ready to give up on that goal.

Over the past few days my treadmill and I have developed a pretty intimate relationship and since that post I managed to squeeze in another 32.67 miles.

So, yay.

Man, I'm bummed.

2010-03-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was so excited that I reached my goal and ran 50 miles a month all last year? Well, I've kept it up this year, at least until now. For some reason, (um, laziness?) I just haven't been running much this month, and while I've been trying to make up for it the past few days, I'm realizing I may have my first injury. My left hip is hurting. It's not horrible, yet, but I'm not sure I want to make it any worse. It started after the second 10K that I ran last month, and I noticed I've had hip pain off and on since then.

I noticed it more during yesterday's run, and it kept hurting the rest of the day. Nate had me ice it last night. (Honestly, there's so much padding there, I'm not sure the cold actually got through to where it needed to go!)

Despite hobbling around like an old lady, I was still trying to figure out a way to reach my 50 miles for March. As much as I don't want to give up, I really don't want to do any permanent damage, you know?

I think I have such 'all or nothing' mentality, I'm afraid that if I skip a month I'll just wind up giving up all together.

So, yeah. I'm bummed.

Snow Day

2010-03-13T16:06:00.006-07:00

Nate promised the kids we'd take them to see some snow before it got too warm, so the other day we packed up the car and headed north.

We didn't stay long. We basically pulled over the car and played in the snow on the side of the road for a few minutes.

Even though Nate and I both grew up where it snows, this stuff now seems totally foreign to both of us. We haven't driven in snow for years. It's especically exciting to the kids because they've only played in snow a few times in their entire lives.

The best part of the trip? No one had to shovel the driveway, and when we got tired of the cold stuff we got to come home to this!

Almost famous

2010-03-02T12:09:00.003-07:00

Nate and I decided to try out this Greek restaurant in our neighborhood we'd heard about the other day, and while sitting there waiting for our food, I noticed something on the wall.

I got up to get a closer look and realized it was a plaque with the soccer team the boys had been on and Nate had coached last year, the Thunderboltz! We'd forgotten that this restaurant, Greek Islands Grill, had sponsored the team! We were so surprised to see the picture up on the wall and knew the boys would be too, so we went back later to get Thrifty ice creams cones (which the restaurant also serves) and show it to them. Here the boys are enjoying their cones with the team picture hanging between them.

We'd talked to the owner earlier that day, and he recognized us again that night and ended up giving us the ice cream cones for free!

(Turns out being local celebrities has its perks.)

Thanks again, Greek Islands Grill!

People are strange

2010-02-27T11:18:00.005-07:00

I'm pretty sure the whole idea of this confuses our dog. She likes to sit and watch.

(Ignore the clutter, please. This is what happens when you combine workout gear, craft supplies, and a very disorganized person.)

And doesn't Nate look like a super hero running this fast?

Zach's cake for the Blue and Gold Banquet

2010-02-26T11:58:00.007-07:00

This is the cake that Zach built.

This is the campsite, to keep the Scouts warm,

and protect them from elements in case of a storm,

on the cake that Zach built.

This is a pine tree,

so carefully made,

for a Scout to sit near and rest in the shade.

On the campsite, to keep the Scouts warm,

and protect them from elements in case of a storm,

on the cake that Zach built.

This is a sleeping bag, rolled and ready for slumber,

Inside the cozy tent, for the Scouts to sleep under,

near the pine tree, so carefully made,

for a Scout to sit near and rest in the shade,

on the campsite, to keep the Scouts warm,

and protect them from elements in case of a storm,

on the cake that Zach built.

This is the fire, crackly and hot,

Perfect for hot dogs and providing a warm spot,

not far from the sleeping bag, rolled and ready for slumber,
inside the cozy tent, for the Scouts to sleep under,

near the pine tree, so carefully made,
for a Scout to sit near and rest in the shade,

on the campsite, to keep the Scouts warm,
and protect them from elements in case of a storm,

on the cake that Zach built.

This...

is Zach.

(Heaven help us.)

Have you learned anything new recently?

2010-02-24T19:30:00.018-07:00

Um, so I have kinda have this tiny crush on Tyler Florence.

What can I say? The guy can cook.

And it's okay, because Nate has his own little celebrity crush on JLH.

Who's JLH?

Jennifer Love Hewitt, silly!

And I'm totally okay with that because, pretty as she is, she's still the Ghost Whisperer.

(snicker)

And, I can empathize with her:

The poor woman carries a little extra junk in her trunk, just like I do. But I, at least, have the sense to cover it up when I go to the beach.

(Except for that one time my mother-in-law took a truly AWFUL picture of me in a swimsuit on vacation straddling a sand castle I was making. She later used it on a scrapbook page just to be mean - and to force me to make my own replacement scrapbook page for her book. Have I mentioned I'm sooo not a scrapbooker?)

Anyhow, I was watching my man, Tyler, cooking some pasta on his show and he explained the you should always add salt to the water after it boils, because adding it before raises the temperature at which the water boils, and lengthens the time it takes to reach boiling point.

Oops.

How did I not know this little scientific tidbit before? I mean, I've been watching the Food Network for quite some time now trying to improve my cooking skills.

Truthfully, it's just not helping. And it really makes me hungry.

I think that's false advertising. I may have to sue.

Jealous?

2010-02-19T16:09:00.005-07:00

Okay, just pretend you are, even if you're not.

And feel feel to gloat when I'm complaining about the scorching heat here come August.

A visit to the Children's Museum of Phoenix

2010-02-16T09:02:00.022-07:00

Because Nate and the kids had yesterday off for Presidents Day, we decided to check out a museum we'd never been to, the Children's Museum of Phoenix.

Once of the first displays we saw was this set of vacuum tubes. There were large pom poms that you could put in a hole and they were immediately sucked up and through the machine and then shot out another area. It was highly entertaining!

Another cool display was a metal covered wall with PVC pipes, vacuum hoses, colanders, and other things attached to it with magnets that the kids (and adults, of course!) could move around and then drop golf balls through. The kids couldn't get enough of this thing.

I wouldn't mind putting one of these in my house somewhere, it was that much fun.

The museum has tons of cool art, like this frog made out of kitchen utensils.

These cars are made out of plastic pipes and rollerskate wheels. There was a huge track the kids could race them on.

There were tricycles the kids could ride through a pretend carwash, complete with air blowing at the end.

In one area there were several shoes that were once worn by some of the Phoenix Suns. This is Amar'e Stoudemire's size 17 shoe.

I'm sure we'll be heading back soon, especially since I discovered the museum has Target Free First Friday nights, where you can visit the museum free of charge on the first Friday night of each month from 6:00 - 10:00 pm.

Cool, huh?!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T18:45:00.011-07:00

Here's one of the valentines I ended up making for my kids to take to school this year. I waited until the very last minute as usual, because that's how I roll. I planned on starting earlier, but several weeks ago, an email was sent out to the parents stating that 'due to the current economic situation' (boy, isn't that getting old?) there would not be a Valentine's Day party held in the classrooms this year.

I almost wept.

Seriously.

While I'm sure there were some parents who jumped for joy at this news, Valentine's Day really is one of my favorite holidays and the idea of my kids not being able to pass out valentines at school just about broke my heart. I'm already lamenting the fact that soon my boys will be too old to willingly share valentines with their classmates.

To add insult to injury, I noticed the grocery store had drastically reduced the number of conversation hearts available this year, (where's the Necco brand?!) and those they did carry were completely FRUIT FLAVORED.

As IF!

Everyone knows that conversation hearts are supposed to be kind of chalky and taste like Pepto Bismol and cloves and other weird flavors you wouldn't purposefully eat any other time of year.

I was outraged.

And when I tried to express this frustration to my husband, thinking he'd understand, he just didn't get it.

Because he hates conversation hearts.

(((gasp!!)))

And I tried to point out that it didn't matter whether or not you like to eat conversation hearts, you just need to have the option. In fact, you can put them in a candy dish for decoration and then toss them in the trash after the holiday, for all I care, but they need to be there. They've been the iconic symbol of Valentine's Day for the last 100 years, for crying out loud!

I mean, I personally don't love Peeps, but I eat a couple on Easter anyhow, because that's what you do. And if they suddenly stopped making them, I'd be sad because they'd been a traditional part of my Easter since childhood.

Okay?!

(Nate probably thought I'd lost it for getting so worked up over something so trivial, but we've been married almost 14 years now, so he's learned it's best to just shut his mouth and nod his head and pretend to agree with me when I get that crazed look in my eyes...)

The lack of appropriate candy coupled with the valentine ban left me in a foul mood.

But then, a light appeared at the end of my gloomy tunnel. One of my son's teachers sent home a note stating that it would be okay to bring valentines in her class, and then a second note followed with the same message from my other son's teacher.

Hurray!

I grabbed my Big Shot and some stacks of card stock and churned out 60 of these little Build-a-Bears, then went to work stamping and glittering and tying ribbons.
And a holiday treat wouldn't be complete without my trusty printed and stamped Avery labels. (Nate ended up running to Wal-mart at 11:30 at night to pick some up for me for this project, sweetheart that he is. I so need to buy those things in bulk at Costco, don't I?)
These save us so much time and effort. Here's how I used them last year, and the year before.

And each valentine had a Blow Pop attached, which my son assured me was the best lollipop choice available. So, good call on my part.

The Valentines were deemed a success by my boys, and while no original Sweethearts ended up decorating my home, I discovered a new Valentine's Day tradition - Godiva truffles.

Mmmmmm...

Now, what was all that nonsense about conversation hearts again?

To you, from me, FOR me...

2010-02-12T12:49:00.015-07:00

Today I caught part of the Martha Stewart special Valentine's Day show.

I normally don't mind Martha. She's got some great ideas, right?

Like these ridiculously adorable Valentine soaps.

And how cute are these little treat cups?!

So on today's show, she asked some of her guests what were some the best and worst gifts they've ever received or given for Valentine's Day.

And so, imagine my surprise when she later went on to have a segment where she taught a man how to make...

(wait for it, because it's good...)

a "Lingerie Bouquet" for his somewhat mortified looking wife who was sitting on the front row.

Each flower was carefully crafted using a rolled up pair of lace panties from Hanky Panky, an online store whose home page boasts of the ability to 'personalize your thongs'.

Ew.

Just listening to Martha instruct this poor, fumbling man to "fold the crotch up twice until it reaches the waistband" kind of gave me the willies.

Somewhat like when she had this pole dancing segment on a few weeks ago:

Ew.

But back to the crummy gift idea.

I don't know about you, but if my husband ever presented me with a dozen pair of lace panties he'd delicately rolled up into flowers and wrapped in tissue like a bouqet, not only would I question his manhood, there's a pretty good chance he'd never get the opportunity to actually see me wearing those panties, or any other for that matter, ever again - if you get what I'm saying.

Lingerie as a gift has never made much sense to me anyway.

Years ago, I was working in the lingerie section of a department store during the Christmas season. At closing time on Christmas Eve, an annoucement was made inviting customers to bring their final purchases to the counter. Rather than encourage the shoppers to leave well enough alone and go home already, this announcement had the opposite effect and seemed to whip many of them into a last minute Christmas buying frenzy. People were practically running around the store grabbing ahold of anything that might possibly be considered a gift.

A few minutes later, another announcement was made about the store preparing to close, yet the shopping blitz continued. A few more notifications (more like desperate pleas at this point) were made informing shoppers that in order for the store's employees to be able to spend the holiday with their families, the registers would soon be shut down and the doors would be locked.

But the store still didn't clear out.

What few realized before that moment was that the normal people had all gone home after the first announcement, and what was left in the ransacked store (besides the terror-strickened employees) was a mob of crazy, desperate, "I'm such a jerk I didn't even bother to think about doing any kind of Christmas shopping until today" kind of people.

(It's frightening to think about, isn't it?)

Fortunately the management of the store stepped up and came down from their corner offices to "help" customers make their final purchases by practically leading them by the arm to the registers and shooing them out the door.

And so, the final transaction I made on that special Christmas Eve was for a deranged, grizzly looking, hick of a man desperately clutching a lacy pair of crimson red thong underwear. This yokel, who seemed quite pleased with himself for finding the perfect gift, (and last minute to boot! Ho ho ho!) had been politely escorted to my register by a distinguished, expensive suit-clad store executive.

It was awkward, to say the least.

And how could anyone not wonder about the "lucky" recipient of that skanky underwear?

Because it's really the thought that counts, right?

Once again, ew.

So, what was the best (or worst!) Valentine's Day gift you've even given or received?

This week, we...

2010-01-31T19:56:00.015-07:00

worked on a Pinewood Derby car...

And won first place!

Ran a 10K.

Rode a mechanical bull.

Petted an alligator...

and a tortoise...

and a boa constrictor!

Sat in a helicopter.

And snuggled with Thelma.

I'm not that excited about planting a garden this year...

2010-01-25T11:49:00.008-07:00

Can I just count this instead?

Because it may never happen again...

2010-01-24T18:44:00.014-07:00

It's embarrassing, but I've been a nail biter off and on my whole life.

It's totally gross, I know.

As a child my parents used to bribe my sisters and I to grow out our nails by having 'fingernail growing contests'. I actually won a contest once and got to go out for a bubblegum milkshake with my dad at Snelgrove's.

Sometimes I bite my nails so short they hurt and bleed, and sometimes I can grow them out, no problem. I can't really explain why I bite or don't bite my nails during any given period of time. But when I do grow them out, I'm always amazed that they still look okay after all my years of abuse.

Seriously, they look decent, right? Almost like an ad for "Active Length Lee Press On Nails", huh?

Wait...what?

You're not familiar with Lee Press On Nails?!

Let me refresh your memory, or school you in some 80's pop culture in case you're too young to remember.

Here's an ad for the version of Lee Press On Nails targeted to teens, (or tweens, I can't really tell, the girls look pretty young to me,) which is why the sexual undertones are a little bizarre:

If my dad lived closer, I'd probably call him up and invite him out for a milkshake right now.

My treat!

It was so pretty outside today!

2010-01-23T18:57:00.004-07:00

I snapped this photo with my cell phone while out on a run today. I couldn't believe how BLUE the sky looked!

Here's another on my way back home. The clouds were huge and puffy and low to the ground. So cool!

2010-01-05T20:55:00.005-07:00

When I announced tonight that it was "Taco Tuesday", Noah, (the ridiculously picky eater right now) groaned and said,

"I like Mashed Potato Day better."

Sorry, kid.

Maybe you'll get your wish next Monday.

A sign I've taken the term "Christmas Break" too literally?

2010-01-04T15:41:00.003-07:00

sigh...

Seriously. Whose crazy idea was it for school to start on the WEDNESDAY after New Year's?!

Mission accomplished!

2009-12-31T16:17:00.012-07:00

Well folks, I did it. I reached my goal.

Earlier this year I accepted a challenge on a running forum over on Sparkpeople.com to run at least 50 miles each month this year.

Here are my results:

And that means the grand total of miles run in 2009 is...

[drumroll please]

628.31!

Yeah, that's right.

(Nate just popped his head around the corner and asked if I was bragging.)

Am I?

Okay, yes, a little.

Because back when I bought my first real pair of running shoes in February of this year, I was nervous that they wouldn't get used enough!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It was a Merry Christmas...

2009-12-26T22:52:00.007-07:00

Wasn't it? We had a really nice time.

That's our annual Christmas Eve photo.

Because most of them looked more like this:

Thanks, Zach, thanks a lot.

And this.

I'm not sure why Noah was hiding, but I'm guessing it was because he was sick of having his picture taken by that point..

And the part that really makes me laugh is that for once, I don't think I look too bad in the photos, and it was ME who kept jumping up and reseting the timer on the camera.

Hello?!

And I don't know why the pictures came out so grainy. All the pictures for the last few days have come out that way and I think it's because I was playing with the settings and goofed them up royally. This next year one of my goals is to improve my photography skills.

And THIS is what the boys have spent most of the last two days doing:

(That's a Nintendo DS, BTW, and I think we all agree they are pretty awesome.)

It's really win-win because I see these little devices being great leverage for getting the kids to do stuff we want them to, like cleaning their rooms and doing their homework.

Score!

So, how was your Christmas?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-19T12:41:00.004-07:00

The stockings are hung by the chimney...ahem...the big screen t.v. with care. (How embarrassing. I can't believe I'm even posting this picture. Obviously my decor needs a little help.)

The giant tub of 'Extra Fancy 'mixed nuts from Costco meant to last through the holiday season is pretty much picked over.

And the most Christmas-y image of all - the lemons on the tree are starting to ripen.

Yes, it's that most wonderful time of the year when the lemons are ready for the pickin' and I can finally squeeze their tangy juices into an ice cold Diet Coke poured into the last, lonely survivor of our of vintage, special edition Utah Jazz glass collection purchased from Chevron in St. George, Utah during the early years of our marriage. This particular glass is dated 1997, and is the glass from which all beverages seem to taste just a little bit better.

Man, it just feels like Christmas now!

Zach's gingerbread house

2009-12-19T11:20:00.005-07:00

Zach wanted to make sure our blog contained a photo of the gingerbread house he made at school yesterday. Impressive, isn't it?

These aren't just pieces of drugstore candy plopped willy nilly onto graham crackers and globs of Betty Crocker frosting. These are carefully plotted confections arranged to convey his conception of the ideal winter wonderland.

That's not merely a Tootsie Roll standing on it's end, it's the leftover stump of a tree chopped down to provide the cottage with much needed fire wood. And the Skittles and sprinkles in front of the door? That's actually a charming cobblestone path beckoning one and all to enter the adorned chalet to join in the Yuletide festivities.

In fact, it reminds me of the beloved creation we made together last year.

He definitely gets his artistic vision from my side of the family.

Have I mentioned just how much I love...

2009-12-15T15:44:00.004-07:00

This squishy dog?

And this cute kid hanging out with the squishy dog?

And this other cute kid with the squishy and ever-so-patient dog?

Just thought I'd point it out in case anyone was wondering.

Eggstra eggstra, read all about it!

2009-12-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

It was our church Christmas party last night and we had 'breakfast for dinner'. When I originally signed up to help I was told I'd be making biscuits and gravy, neither of which I've actually made before. And honestly, a church party with dozens of hungry people isn't exactly the time or place I want to test out my culinary skills, you know?

So, I was thrilled when I was told that instead of biscuits and gravy, we would be in charge of eggs - eggspecially (<----see how I threw that in there for you?) since cooking eggs is kind of Nate's specialty.

We'd never cooked 96 eggs before. Have you?

Nate always insists on adding cheese. Lots of it.

He's 'egg'stra special, isn't he?

Um. Wow. What's in YOUR wallet?

2009-12-12T11:52:00.009-07:00

I was trying to figure out the balance left on a gift card I found in my wallet and realized there were quite a few other gift cards and merchandise credits in there as well.

$329.66 worth, in fact.

Seriously?!

Yes, seriously.

And that doesn't even count the IKEA card pictured, because they were no help whatsoever in finding the balance.

Is it any wonder that stores are pushing gift cards and merchandise credit like crazy? I think they're totally counting on dorks like me who misplace and forget about these things.

Well, see you later.

I'm going SHOPPING!!

Some Christmas images from our house...

2009-12-09T12:03:00.023-07:00

My friend Raejean mentioned that last year she'd made a scrapbook layout called "The Images of Christmas", and that this year she hoped to get pictures of the ornaments and decorations she has and type up the stories of each of them.

I totally love that idea, so I'm going to copy it and share some of the things we hang on our tree each year.

These are some of the oldest ornaments I own. My mother went through some kind of crazy cross stitching kick and made a ton of these with various themes for each of my sisters and me. This particular ornament is dated 1989 aand there are others dating as far as 1985.

When we first got married and were starting from scratch our first Christmas, I looked through a lot of magazines like Good Housekeeping and Family Circle for ideas of ornaments and decorations I could make without spending a lot of money. I always assumed that later I'd be able to have a more elaborate, glamourous looking tree a few years down that road.

These 'punched tin stars' were some of the first ornaments I made. It involved tracing and cutting out stars from sheets of aluminum flashing I picked up from Home Depot. I spent hours punching the edges of these with a hammer and nail. The funny thing was, I think I ended up spending more money buying the supplies to make these than I would have spent buying some good quality ornaments.

Oh well, live and learn.

And it turns out they're not exactly child friendly. They're actually quite sharp, and the kids love tossing them across the room like Chinese throwing stars. It may be time to retire the things before somebody loses an eye around here.

These fabric yo-yo's were another project of mine. I promise, they look better in real life, although they SCREAM '1996 craft project' like nothing else. I think this is when I (and every other 90's crafter out there) truly discovered the many uses of raffia.

As long as your little ones can't chew through raffia fibers to ingest the jingle bells, these are totally kid friendly and make a pleasant tinking sound for all to hear. :) Plus, everytime someone shakes them, an angel gets it's wings!

Here's another version, extra heavy on the raffia:

I love the look of strung popcorn with cranberries, but didn't want the mess of the cranberries themselves, so years back when I found some bright red wooden beads that looked like berries in a dollar store, I thought I'd hit the jackpot! The beads were a little too fire engine red for my taste, so I layed them out on layers of newspaper and spray painted them a dark cranberry color. For years I had strings of popcorn with these beads on my tree and people who saw our tree often commented how pretty they were. The stringing of all that popcorn is a little labor intensive, so one year I carefully packed them in ziptop bags and discovered they could be reused for several years in a row. Sneaky, huh?

Here's a tip though, don't hang popcorn if your kids or critters are apt to eat it.

When I was growing up, I remember we strung popcorn a few of the years. One year we couldn't figure out why the strands seemed to be falling down so much and just where the popcorn was disappearing to. I finally figured it out when I walked in to see the little poodle we had at the time contentedly munching on the side of the tree.

So, just for review, dogs, probably cats, and possible very hungry children and popcorn strands do not mix. This is why we're laying off the popcorn on the tree for a while, but I miss it.

Back before I had kids, I was a little concerned about what I was going to do when my children started bringing home those delightful ornaments they crafted at school because I didn't think they would, um...mesh well with the elegant tree I envisioned having someday.

I know some people solve that by having a kids' tree and then another tree that's more for show, and if that's how you do it, more power to you. As it turns out that my kid's ornaments are some of my favorite parts of our tree because they help tell our family story.

These are some paper gingerbread men that Zachary made a few years back. I wish I'd written the year on them...I'm guessing he was in Kindergarten, but I'm not sure. He still enjoys putting them on the tree each year and I love seeing them.

Gotta love the beads and the googly eyes, right?

An ornament Noah is quite proud of and appears to be made from sparkly Moon Sand.

This is the ornament we picked up the year we took the kids to Disneyland, which can be read about HERE.

I really like finding ornaments that go along with trips we've taken and special things we've done during the year. That's why this is one of this year's new ornaments. It's supposed to represent our recent trip to San Diego.

I bought this ornament last year just because I liked it. My dad has always had a motorcycle as far back as I can remember, and when we were kids he used to take us on motorcycle rides around the neighborhood while we wore a giant, bulbous, orange helmet.

This is a new ornament this year that I liked because it's a sparkly cookie and happens to coordinate with the dark red color I like to use on our tree.. I'd make real cookies, but once again, we have a giant beastly dog that eats everything she finds and would have no problem knocking down an entire tree to get a snack.

An ornament from the year we bought our first house.

Here's one of the ornaments from Zach's first Christmas.

And another someone gave us.

And from Noah's first Christmas. (Poor kid will forever be saddled with the unfortunate problem of receiving Noah's Ark related junk for the rest of his life!)

And a token from the Thomas years...

And I bought this because it makes me think of Nate.

This is from last year when we got Thelma.

This is an ornament I stamped in an attempt to be crafty.

And maybe I'm crazy, but I love these cheap plastic icicles I picked up at the grocery store one year. They totally remind me of the elegant glass icicles my friend had on her flocked tree when I was really young.

This was something they passed out in Relief Society something like 10 years ago and I just liked how homey and crafty it was.

Some glass hearts I bought from Oriental Trading Company. I bought a few dozen of these but they're dwinding every year.

The rest of tree is filled in with lots of dark red and gold balls and stars and other random things I've picked up over the years.

And lastly, this is what Thelma did while I took pictures and typed up this post, and later, she actually moved to her bed in front of the tree.

It's a Christmas miracle!!

Yes, we celebrate holidays...

2009-12-07T11:16:00.007-07:00

I just don't always get around to blogging about 'em.

We had a great Thanksgiving. We stayed home and celebrated with our little family. We talked about actually going out for dinner this year, but we had a hard time figuring out where to go, and most people we mentioned our plans to completely freaked out at the very idea.

Okay, mostly the men. The women seemed a little jealous.

But, Zachary was talking about how much he was looking forward to staying home and eating turkey. And ham.

Wait...ham?

Yes, ham. Because we've had ham at big family Thanksgiving dinners before, so he feels that ham is an important part of the holiday now.

Ugh.

So, our menu included turkey AND ham, for 4 people, one of whom doesn't eat meat other than IKEA meatballs.

And I made buttery rolls from scratch, something I don't do very often. And in such a huge quantity. Man, we had rolls coming out our ears.

And we decorated the table with real napkins and a tablecloth and fancy glasses. See?

And while the kids liked our table decor, they kept questioning if someone else was coming over for dinner.

And Thelma kept coming into the kitchen while I was cooking and sniffing the air, and finally plopped down there in the middle of everything to make sure I didn't forget about her when it was time to serve all that glorious meat.

Here Noah is trying to console her.

And we got the tree put up early this year, which is a first.

Santa must think I was very, very good this year...

2009-12-06T22:00:00.021-07:00

Perhaps you've questioned where I've been lately.

What?!! You hadn't even noticed I'd been gone??!

Well, I HAVE, okay?

And I'm a little hurt by your lack of concern for my well being and your smart-alecky tone.

Because the lapse in my sarcastic responses to your Facebook updates, the void felt by those online communites I frequent, and the general lack of pictures and stories of my family's awesomeness can be attributed to the fact that our old computer finally kicked the bucket.

Apparently I really excel at downloading things I shouldn't, by accident, of course. And someone out there thinks that when I watch online tutorials of card making techniques or the proper way to tie a scarf on YouTube that I might really enjoy having my computer showered with skanky photos and pop ups of anti-virus software.

So we had a trusty friend work on it.

Trust me, he HAD to be a "trusty" friend in order for me to even let him gaze upon my computer considering some of the crazy photos of me contained within.

Am I the only person who keeps those pictures of myself looking particularly chunky just in case I ever want to use them as BEFORE photos in a future issue of Weight Watchers magazine or something?

Huh? Am I?

*heavy sigh*

Anyhow, while this friend was transferring all our files and junk, the old motherboard gave up the ghost, and the verdict came back that the old 'puter was beyond repair, at least at a reasonable cost.

And the kids cried.

Seriously. Noah was on the floor curled up in a ball sobbing on his second day without CartoonNetwork.com.

And me? Well, since I'd already been through the 12 step program for overcoming internet addiction a few months before due to previous virus, I was okay.

Sort of.

It's funny to realize just how dependent I've become on my computer though.

I mean, I admit that on a typical day I'm normally on my computer quite a bit.

I've gotta check my email a few times, update my status over on Facebook (because everyone I know cares so much about what I'm doing right that second, right?), chat with my girls over at SplitcoastStampers and SparkPeople a little, print out that recipe for Turkey Pot Pie over at AllRecipes.com for the millionth time since I can never seem to locate the copy I printed out the time before, pay a few bills, print out a lesson, upload some photos from my camera, read a little celebrity gossip, look up the answer to whatever random question Zachary throws my way that day, check out the grocery ads, look up someone's address, log the miles I ran, read a few blogs, place another Stampin' Up! order, renew the library books because I still can't find one of them, calculate the calories I ate when I'm being good, order a pizza when I'm not...

I mean, it's practically a full time job, you know.

*cough, cough*

And to take all that away just like that is just plain cruel and unusual punishment for anyone.

Like, what am I gonna do now with my spare time?

Clean my house? Cook meals? Do LAUNDRY?!

As if.

I've found that the first day or so without a computer is the hardest. There's a panicky feeling that comes from being cut off from the rest of the world like that. It takes some time, but you slowly get used to the idea that you can't look up dinner ideas at random anymore so you need to plan ahead a little better. Eventually it dawns on you that maybe Farkle and Scramble really were a waste of your precious time, that you really don't get enough important emails to be checking it as frequently as your used to, and that you really can manage without a computer for a while, as long as you remember to pick up some stamps to pay those bills.

But, since we'd already decided that once our computer bit the dust our next computer would be a laptop, and this is the season to save on electronics, Santa visited our house a little early this year...

and a shiny, new glorious laptop it is!

Thank you, Santa! I believe in you!

$5.00 magazine subscriptions

2009-11-27T20:16:00.028-07:00

I'm not a big fan of waking up before the sun on Black Friday to battle the frenzied crowds in the search of scoring the perfect deal. (In fact, Nate tried it himself for the first time ever this morning and it took him all of about 10 minutes in a packed store before he completely freaked out and came home...)

But the bargain shopper in me loves finding a great online deal and passing it on, like this, $5 magazine subscriptions through Amazon.com, now through December 1st.

(Make sure you read the details of the deal and order at least $25 to qualify for the FREE Super Saver Shipping from Amazon. The $25 does NOT have to be just magazines, BTW.)

Happy shopping, my friends.

Happy shopping!!

A lavatory story

2009-11-20T13:14:00.011-07:00

It's not for the squeamish, I promise you that.

Noah just marched up to me and suggested I follow him to see something in the bathroom. That's never a good sign.

"It's in the toilet," he said.

"Is it gross?" I asked, mentally preparing myself for the worst. (Stupid question. Of course it's gross, it's toilet related. What was I thinking?)

And I walk into the bathroom to see a clogged toilet, a nest of toilet paper still piled high inside.

Now, over the years and through much experience I would go as far as to say I've become quite skilled in my toilet unclogging abilities, if I may boast. (And really, I must not have much to brag about if that's high enough on my list of special talents to even mention, so just give it to me this time, okay?)

If a toilet is clogged around here, it's usually my job to unclog it. (I'm guessing it's due to my unusual upper body strength. Or perhaps the fact that Nate is rarely around.)

In fact, I hadn't met a backed up toilet I couldn't unclog up until a few months back when we combined teenage scouts, a pizza party, and our little bathroom. It was a volatile mix I won't soon repeat.

Apparently one of the scouts wasn't feeling so hot when he arrived and quickly locked himself in the bathroom. He was in there for quite some time and after a while, a few of the other boys needed to use the bathroom and started knocking on the door.

And there was no answer.

More knocking from the other boys, along with a few jibes that only teenage boys can come up with. Still no response.

Then, from behind the still locked door came an odor so powerful it filled the hallway and wafted into the kitchen. After several more minutes and still no answer at the door, Nate and I began to worry a little. Was this kid okay? Was he still alive in there, or he blacked out from the overwhelming stench?

With the pizza almost gone and the party winding down, the boy finally crept out of the bathroom and sheepishly whispered to my husband that the toilet was clogged.

And, oh, was that toilet clogged!!

Apparently trying to spare himself some humiliation, this poor kid had taken it upon himself to unsuccessfully try to unplug the toilet on his own and had failed so miserably and in such a way that I could neither comprehend, nor explain what exactly happened in there. I walked into this bathroom to find several inches of sewage on the floor, muck in the tub and all over the toilet, and a spray of feculence on the wall and cabinet next to the toilet.

Dude.

Now, being the mother of two boys who potty trained ridiculously late (that's right, kids, I'm publicly calling you out) as well as the owner of an 80 lb. dog, and for other reasons I should probably not go into great detail here, I feel I've dealt with more than what I'd consider my fair share of poop. But this bathroom calamity, despite my years of training, was so far beyond even my capabilities.

Where to even begin? There seemed no point in cleaning up the floor around the toilet until the toilet itself stopped spewing waste like a volcano. And yet, the floor around the toilet was such a vile wasteland of liquid poop, it was nearly impossible to even get to the toilet to unclog it without wading right into the middle of it. I panicked and considered the possibility of hiring a disaster clean up company, although I'm not sure even they could handle something of this magnitude.

But, we didn't call anyone, at first. Nate, who was beyond ticked, and mumbling about how much it was going to cost us to get a plumber out here, and wondering if our pipes were somehow damaged, went in and made his best efforts, but I think he was too scared of getting contaminated by the sludge to really put some muscle into it. Amateur!

I decided to take things into my own hands. Wielding my trusty plunger, I held my breath and went in for the kill. And that toilet, despite all my jostling, coaxing, and cursing, remained clogged.

Nate then decided to call in his trusty friend Jeff to help out. Truthfully, though, I don't think Jeff had any clue what he was getting himself into when he showed up with his own industrial plunger in hand. As soon as we opened the door, and the vile cloud that now filled the entire house was released outside onto the front porch, Jeff's nose wrinkled, and he immediately pulled up his shirt and covered his nose and mouth. Yes, it was that bad.

Jeff assessed the damage, used some colorful language himself, and then went to work. It took him a while, but he did it. Jeff, my hero, unclogged the toilet. And I told him, had he not been splashed with feces, I probably would have kissed him right there. Poor man.

And then the real work began, the scooping, the scrubbing, the bleaching, and sterilizing of that bathroom from the ceiling to the floor. It took hours.

And it still smelled.

For a long, long time.

And despite scrubbing myself raw in the shower that night trying to remove the microbes I could feel crawling all over my body, I still had the heebie jeebies for a few days just thinking about what we'd been through.

That's a delightful little story, isn't it?

Doesn't it make you want to come stay at my house?

So all this potty talk got me thinking about how easy it was back when I just had to change a diaper every couple of hours, and for the most part, all this excrement was fully contained. Why was that such a bad thing again?

Now, I'm constantly reminding my boys to flush and wash their hands and pay attention to where they pee. I spend time scrubbing the toilet and floor only to discover it needs to be redone an hour later, or sometimes before my cleaner even has a chance to dry. And no matter how much bleach or Lysol or Mr. Clean I use, I still can't seem to rid that bathroom of the telltale smell of misfiring little boys. We honestly figure we'll just have to remodel the entire bathroom one of these days to get rid of that smell.

And I have to wonder:

"Why on earth was I in such a hurry years ago to get my kids to use the toilet?!"

(Oh, and yes, we realize now we totally need to get a plumber's snake.)

Should I stay or should I go now?

2009-11-19T21:49:00.011-07:00

The carpool has been getting a little out of hand lately.

(Truthfully, that's probably the understatement of the year.) It's been a complete and utter zoo.

And it's sucking my will to live.

I know I've said it before, but our carpool is no ordinary 5 or 10 minute commute. Each morning is a 12 mile expedition. Yes, 12 grueling miles with 5 children, each with their own personalities and often annoying characteristics.

What a way to start each day. Is it any wonder that I hit the snooze button several times each morning before woefully prying my reluctant carcass from beneath the covers?

Now, in our carpool, the decibel level, in my opinion, is really reaching unsafe levels for me to safely operate the vehicle. I should point out that as the mother of only 2 children myself, and as the second daughter in a family of 4 reasonably well behaved girls, I am just not equipped to handle that much noise. Particularly in such a small, enclosed area, and so close to my head.

In addition to the noise, there's the fighting. The fighting! I often find myself confiscating folders and water bottles and pencils and any other object that could be turned into a weapon to cause bodily harm.

(And really, with boys, any object can become a deadly weapon...am I right?)

I don't know how you parents in large families do it day in and day out because I get exhausted just thinking about it.

For a while I've been debating the proper way to handle this situation and the way I see it, I basically have two alternatives:

Option A - Each time the children act in such a way that I find it hard to concentrate on the task of driving, I pull over and give the children yet another tongue lashing about the dangers of a distracted driver. Perhaps the driver's ed. department from my local high school could provide me with some graphic visual aids (remember those?!) that would really help the message hit home. And then we sit and wait until it's quiet enough to continue our journey, each second ticking on the clock just another second that they could have spent playing on the playground at school had they gotten there a little earlier.

Option B - I put the pedal to the metal and drive like a bat out of hell to significantly shorten the time the youngsters will actually remain in my car.

And both options have their disadvantages.

I mean, sometimes it's just not safe or feasible to pull over, what with all the construction they've been doing lately. And, since I've already tried this option many, many, many times already, it seems apparent that it's just not working.

Yesterday morning, while the kids were loading into the car, I reminded them that I expect good behavior, courtesy, respect, and heck, WORLD PEACE when I'm driving them to school. So imagine my horror when it was my own two children that started whacking each other with school supplies around mile 6 of our journey to the point where I had to pull over and get all psycho-mom in their faces.

Perhaps I need to print up and post a list of the rules in my car since no one seems to be able to remember them for any length of time. I guess I thought that most of them were just plain common sense, but we all know sense isn't so common these days..

Hmm, let's see:

Rule #1: If it isn't yours, don't touch it. This applies to all personal property including backpacks, folders, lunches, water bottles, jackets, seats, and most importantly, body parts.

Rule #2: No tattling. Seriously. I so don't want to hear it. Don't come whining to me that somebody punched you, because I'm guessing it's because you totally deserved it.

Rule #3: Zip it. No screeching, hollering, bellowing, or singing of that awful song with the alternative lyrics about Barney that's been so wildly popular in the car for the past few days. Ugh. And no jokes about body parts or functions. I get enough of that at home.

And really, that's about it. If those 3 basic rules were followed, it would be a delight to cart those kids around.

No really, it would. There was a day that I remember distinctly when the kids were laughing and singing in unison to a Raffi cd I'd checked out from the library. It was brief, but it was beautiful.

And it didn't last. Soon they were arguing over which song to listen to next and making up their own unpleasant lyrics to the songs using each other's names. The punching began, then the tattling. And the Raffi cd eventually had to go back to the library.

I suppose the next time the chaos starts in the car, and I'm ready to completely lose it, I can hang onto the lovely memory of 5 children cheerfully singing about "llamas eating their pajamas, down by the bay".

Thank you, Sir, may I have another?

2009-11-17T18:12:00.008-07:00

So, tonight I'm sitting down with Zachary and pleading with him for the millionth time to try to do his homework a little more neatly. I explained that he shouldn't be in such a hurry, and how it's important to do his best work... and blah blah blah...

(People tell me it's because he's a boy, and for the most part, boys just don't care about neatness as much as girls.

Is that really true or just a pathetic excuse for boys to get away with crummier handwriting?)

Anyhow, Zachary responds with:

"I know, but I don't want Dad to beat me."

"Er...what?" I asked, utterly confused.

"I don't want Dad to beat me."

Whoa, that doesn't sound right.

In an instant, my mind is racing to try to figure out what on earth he's talking about since we absolutely do not BEAT our children.

(I'm not saying there haven't been times when we've wanted to though...)

And then he tells me,

"I'm just trying to hurry and get it done so Dad doesn't beat me home from work."

Ah, THERE it is. He's trying to get his homework done before his dad comes home from work!

Whew!

Good. That makes a lot more sense and doesn't involve CPS knocking on our door.

Now I just need him to be around to explain this to his teacher at the next parent teacher conference should the subject come up, don't I?

No Termites...woo hoo?

2009-11-04T12:46:00.010-07:00

Thanks to a recent home inspection that was only slightly less invasive than the time I gave birth drug-free while a large team of medical students stood closely by and observed...

I can proudly declare our home is termite free. At least for now.

And, uh, I guess that's pretty exciting news, especially if you read all the junk mail we've been getting lately warning us about the dangers of termite infestation.

I don't know.

I'm just not sure what my level of concern about 'subterranean termites' should be right now compared to real threats like deadly flu strains, nationwide job lay-offs, and the upcoming remake of the classically nostalgic film, Dirty Dancing.

Sunny with a chance of meatballs

2009-11-03T14:12:00.012-07:00

I know that I've mentioned on more than one occasion that one of my son's favorite foods are meatballs, haven't I? And not just any old meatballs, this kid loves meatballs exclusively from IKEA. Forget those ordinary Italian-style meatballs that you can pick up at any grocery store - they just don't cut it around here. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but this kid is one-eighth Swedish, and has the meatball preference to prove his ancestry.

A few years back I was absolutely horrified to find him sneaking and eating these meatballs straight from the freezer - at least until I realized they were pre-cooked.

Then, I didn't care so much.

What can I say? Isn't it my job as a parent to teach self-reliance? And, who knows, maybe he was teething or something.

Anyhow, Noah has been sadly disappointed for some time now because we just plain ran out of meatballs a few months back and I just couldn't justify driving the 70 miles round trip to purchase a couple of bags of frozen, pre-shaped meat.

That, and I'm a little scared of getting sucked once again into the enormous maze of cool stuff that IKEA has upstairs in its showroom. You know how you walk around that place and see all the amazing ways things are set up and used? I walk into that and pretty soon I find myself thinking:

"Hey, maybe boxy, modern looking furniture is actually pretty cool!"

"Whoa! Wouldn't it be awesome if my kitchen was this sleek and organized?"

Pretty soon I'm writing down aisle and bin numbers of pieces of furniture with names I can't pronounce on a little scrap of paper with a tiny pencil, completely confident my home will soon be as clutter-free and chic as the display room at IKEA.

It takes about 45 minutes of me aimlessly wandering through the store before the panic kicks in.

Yes, actual panic. I swear, the room begins to spin. My heart starts beating faster and I break out in a cold sweat.

Noises become louder. Lights become brighter.

Must.

Get.

OUT!!

The realization hits me that I am nothing but a lab rat in a giant, decorated labyrinth.

Okay, I can see you're thinking,

Hello? Why can't you just follow the signs and leave the place like a normal person?

Yeah, you'd think that, which is a little judgemental of you, by the way, don't you think?

Because in that moment, I'm like a contestant on The Amazing Race. I'm in such a disoriented panic, I can't read a sign to save my life.

And I'm still a little distracted by all the cool displays.

Seriously, this plastic bag dispenser thingie they sell is pretty freakin' brilliant...

and at just $1.99, it's a smart buy as well!

And once I finally make it through the showroom down the stairs (or elevator, but I'm usually too woozy for the elevator at this point) and barrel my way through the kitchenwares and linens and ugly rugs (dude, what is up with all those ugly rugs?!) and plow past the candles and plants and finally emerge into the open air of the actual stock room itself, I find that I've usually lost that little slip of paper telling me just which aisle I needed to go to find the items I wanted to buy to spruce up my house. And if I DO still have the paper, I usually can't read my hastily scrawled numbers, or once I reach the proper aisle and bin number, I find that the item I want is out of stock, or only available in the one color I absolutely don't want, or is located on a high shelf, and there's not an employee who gives a darn about that within a half mile radius.

I've shed actual tears of frustration at IKEA. More than once.

That's why I don't go there very often anymore.

And because our home has sort of reached its maximum capacity of modular bookshelves.

And I really hate to dust.

But I still really like putting all those shelves and things together, despite their crazy directions, or lack of directions, really.

Yes, seriously. If you need help, you should totally call me. I'm kind of a pro by now.

It's probably due to the fact that I happen to be one quarter Swedish myself...

But back to the meatballs.

Isn't this funny?

Noah's persistence once again paid off because last night we scheduled our dinner and shopping plans around the Tempe area just so we could quickly stop in IKEA and stock up on meatballs.

Doesn't he look happy?! This kid is in meatball heaven!

And we totally scored, because when you bought a certain amount in the bistro section of IKEA you got a free t-shirt!

We're only sad it didn't come in Noah's size.

Yeah, it was my birthday...

2009-11-03T10:49:00.003-07:00

and check out this totally awesome cake I got from the Porters! Heather swears Preston did it all by himself.

I'm so impressed. Not everyone gets a personalized, monogrammed cake for their birthday.

Lucky me!

And since we're on the subject of cute cakes, here are the cupcakes we made for Noah's "puppy party".

I got the idea here, but tweaked them a little because Noah isn't much of a chocolate fan. Too cute, huh?

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T22:13:00.006-07:00

Zachary as Superman, Noah as a samurai, and Thelma as...

a Utah Jazz fan?

Thelma got pretty wiped out Trick or Treating

Our candy stash.

It didn't all fit in this jar - and it's a 2 gallon jar.

Whoa.

Baku-dog

2009-10-28T20:36:00.004-07:00

Last year for Christmas we bought Thelma a giant, fancy-schmancy, cushy dog bed from Costco.

She doesn't like it and won't sleep on it, and I keep meaning to donate it just to get it out of here.

For his birthday the other day, Noah got this Bakugan Battle Arena, which is essentially a round piece of polyester fabric with a wire in the edge to keep its shape.

And Thelma loves it.

Noah is 6 years old!

2009-10-27T22:00:00.004-07:00

Another year has gone by and our sweet Noah is now 6 years old! I decided to ask him some questions about his favorite things and compare his answers to this time last year.

(Here is last year's post.)

This year, Noah's favorite color is still green.

His favorite foods are still meatballs, Honey Nut Cheerios, and milk.

As far as favorite television shows, Noah still loves Bakugan and Sponge Bob Squarepants, but he's moved on from the Wonder Pets and now enjoys more mature television like El Tigre and Danny Phantom.

One of his favorite movies is still Underdog, but he's also discovered Air Buddies, and when Nate found a copy of the old He-man series at Redbox, Noah was instantly hooked.

Yikes. That's some pretty scary stuff.

And, since I just figured out the video feature on my camera, (after several years, I might add), I figured I could throw in a cute little video of Noah singing while decorating his cupcakes.

Noah is soo excited about this new Bakugan game for the Wii. For weeks he's been reminding us that it would be available October 20th and hinting that he wanted it for his birthday.

I guess you could say that persistence pays off.

We love you, Noah!
Happy Birthday!

Our Trip to San Diego

2009-10-16T11:56:00.035-07:00

(A travel log featuring more photos of the Kennedy family than you ever wanted to see...)

The kids had school off this past week for fall break, so we took them on a little vacation to San Diego to visit Sea World. Nate found a deal that included a hotel room and tickets to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park.

It's about a 6 1/2 hour drive from here for us, and we left in the afternoon after the kids' soccer game, so by the time we got to California, the kids were wiped out. We ordered pizza because we were too tired to go out, and we couldn't even wake them to eat the pizza once it was delivered.

Doesn't Zachary look much older here? Weird.

The first day we went to Sea World. Nate totally mocked me for wearing the rain poncho on this ride, but after he got totally wet himself, he ended up putting one on for the next ride. He ripped it off before this photo, but he was still drenched.

This was right after the Journey to Atlantis ride, which the kids were begging to go on all day. Turns out it was super fast and scary and the kids were crying and begging to get off halfway through the ride. Noah looks extra thrilled, doesn't he?

Of course, one of the best parts of Sea World is all the shows. The kids really liked seeing Shamu, the sea lions, and the "Petz Rule" show, which featured a bunch of different animals like dogs, cats, a pig, and ducks performing tricks.

Here are some dogs jumping rope.

Noah's making his dolphin swim here.

I really don't do well on any of the spinning rides, so it's Nate's job to take the kids on those.
hee hee...

Zachary really wanted to try out this bungee jumping ride, but when he saw how high some of the other kids got, he kinda freaked out. He got going pretty high himself, and I was worried he was getting scared until he blurted out,

"Hey, are these pictures in focus?!!"

And, because I'm a dork, I had to take a picture of this sign because I thought it was funny with the two strollers parked in front of it.

Noah seemed tired and kind of lethargic the whole day at Sea World and we'd given him a hard time about not eating his $8 kid's meal, so we felt pretty bad when we realized he was sick.

And not just a little sick, but actually 'hurl over the side of the top bunk bed, onto the bottom bunk bed and floor below' kind of sick.

In our experience, barfing tends to put a damper on family vacations.

Much of the second day was spent holed up in the vomit-scented hotel room trying to figure out if Noah was feeling okay enough to go anywhere. He seemed okay, but we didn't want to get into one of the theme parks only to discover he wasn't, so instead we planned to head to the beach.

The kids love the tiny little crabs you can sometimes find at the beach. Luckily, we found one!

We felt bad for whoever was going to have to deal with our hotel room mess that day, so before we left for the beach, Nate found a maid, asked if she'd be cleaning our room, explained what happened, and gave her a big tip.

After the beach, when we really wanted to take showers and get cleaned up, the room was still a barfy mess, and our nicely tipped maid was now no where to be found.

Imagine that.

We decided to take the kids down to the pool instead.

Zachary, curiously crazy kid that he is, put his hand on the elevator door while it was opening and it got sucked in between the door and the wall. His blood curdling screams echoed through the elevator and could probably be heard within a 10 mile radius. Really. Envisioning my little guy going through life minus his digits, I completely panicked and starting whacking buttons on the elevator. Eventually the door stopped and with great effort, we were able to pull his hand out. When we finally got to Nate, who was down waiting by the pool, I flipped out on him and asked why on earth he didn't come running when her heard Zach's petrified screaming.

Nate's response was,

"Well, he does that a lot."

And actually, he kinda does.

At this point, I was shaking like a leaf and burst into tears, then asked Nate where the ice machine was. He questioned if I really thought we needed to ice Zachary's hand, and I sheepishly held up a warm can of Diet Coke I'd been carrying and showed him what I really wanted the ice for.

Ooops.

The kids totally loved that they were able to be in the hot tub at the hotel, something that's not allowed anywhere else we've been.

Here's a mellow Noah hanging out with Nate.

By now we were sure Noah was feeling better, but it was evening, and we had no plans, so we found a nice park for the kids to play in.

The next day we headed to the Wild Animal Park. It was kind of overcast and cool and the park wasn't very busy at all, so it was perfect.

Nate and Noah waiting for the bird show to begin.

This explains a lot of Nate's behavior, doesn't it?

The Wild Animal Park was great because the animals are in fairly 'natural surroundings', and yet you can actually see them up close.

And even feed some of them!

Here we are ready for our "4D" dinosaur adventure. We weren't that impressed, so I think the 4 D's really stood for:

Dopey
Dense
Dumb

and...

4. Disappointing

If you happen to visit the Wild Animal Park in the near future, skip that part.

Seriously.

This is Nate feeding nectar to the lorikeets. I think he had eight of them perched on him at one time. I thought they were super creepy, which they could probably sense, because one of them bit me.

There's a hot air balloon there that you can pay big bucks to ride in. We passed. But it's cool looking, isn't it?

Nate and Noah on the merry go round. Seriously, what kid picks the stationary bench to sit on?

Oh, wait...

A kid getting over the flu, I guess.

One of the highlights of the trip was getting to meet one of my 'online friends', Cindy. We've been talking on a rubber stamping website for a long time, and I finally got to meet her in person and see her amazing 'stamp cave'. How fun is that?! She showed me some of the amazing projects she's been working on, and she's super talented!

The last day of the trip we planned on heading home before it got too late, but we had time to run to the Maritime Museum and tour some of the old boats and go on a harbor cruise.

They told us this ship has it's haunted sails up for Halloween.

We all loved our trip to San Diego, (well...most of it at least) and can't wait to go back!

I would RUN 500 miles and I would run 500 more...

2009-10-09T12:12:00.011-07:00

Today was kind of a special day for me. I ran my 500th mile for the year!

A while back, I joined an online running group for beginners and one of the challenges was to run 50 miles a month for the entire year. I figured I'd give it a shot.

Here are the shoes I've been wearing. They were my first official pair of running shoes purchased in an actual running store in February of this year, right before I ran the Two Sisters, One Heart 10K.

(By the way, info about the next Two Sister One Heart fundraiser can be found here.)

And here are the shoes that will help me run the next 500 or so miles. I got them free from Nike.com using points from MyCokeRewards. How weird is that?

I can't get over how new and shiny these babies are.

And PINK! I actually have pink shoes!

I didn't realize how bad my old shoes looked until I put the two pair together side by side.

And here I am after today's 6 mile run that put me over the 500 mile mark.
I'm still smiling. Woo hoo!

My Digital Studio

2009-10-03T18:38:00.009-07:00

Have you heard about Stampin' Up!'s newest product? It's called My Digital Studio. It's software you can use to create all kinds of projects like cards, calendars, photo albums, and scrapbook pages using exclusive Stampin' Up! images.

And once you've designed these projects you can print them yourself or have them professionally printed and sent right to your door.

Here's a brief video that gives an overview:

Since I'm not much of a scrapbooker, I wasn't sure this was a product I would use, but once I saw all the things you can do with it, I was hooked!

Here are a few of the first pages I put together. And it only took a few minutes instead of a few hours, like my previous scrapbooking attempts.

Pretty fun, huh?

The My Digital Studio software is now available, and for a limited time you can get it for half price when you host a workshop with sales that total $400 or more between now and November 30, 2009.

Have questions? Give me call!

And so it begins...

2009-09-26T17:40:00.008-07:00

Today was the first official soccer game of the season and Nate is the coach once again. Luckily, both of our sons are on the same team this time, so that means fewer games and practices to attend.

I've got to admit, I don't seem to relish my position as a 'soccer mom' as much as some women I know. The last time both boys played, the entire week had to be planned around soccer practices, and Saturdays were far too scheduled for my taste with multiple games.

Plus, there's all that equipment to haul around, the uniforms to constantly wash and keep track of (poor Noah once had to wear a mud-encrusted shirt last season because I forgot to make sure it was laundered the night before. Ooops!), there's the grass and dirt in the car, the water bottles, the orange slices, and the snacks.

Yes, the snacks! For some reason, those a ridiculously big deal.

(See the "snacks" video below. It's hilarious!)

Then, when you get through with all of that, half the time the kids are too tired, too hot, or too bored to even PLAY!

Thankfully, I'm not the type to care who wins or loses, unlike some of those parents, because frankly...

I barely know what's going on.

(Shh...don't tell anyone. It's our little secret, okay?)

No, really. I think I've said it before, but I'm seriously the most unathletic person on earth. In fact, it dawned on me the other day, I've never been part of a real athletic team in my entire life. I've never played soccer or run track or been a part of a softball or basketball team. Ever.

I distinctly remember a gym class in junior high when we were doing a relay where you had to run down, make a basket, and run back, passing the ball off to the next player. Well, I ran down, and shot the ball. And shot again. And again. And again. And pretty soon all the other teams were finished, but I was still there shooting the ball. And shooting it. And still shooting it. And after several minutes of me humiliating myself in front of the entire class, I finally made a basket. And the crowd went wild. Because they were so darn relieved it was over.

It's pretty sad and pathetic, I know. So of course I WANT my kids to play sports. And we all know Nate will demand the kids play sports, even when they don't want to.

Last soccer season, the whole thing was kind of a mess. The schedule was wrong. The promised picture packages and trophies never happened. It was a general disappointment for kids and parents. So when Nate told me he'd been asked to coach again, I groaned, especially since Nate convinced two of our friends to sign up and be on the team too.

Hopefully, this season will be better.

Here's Zachary taking a little break from the game.

And Noah pointing out his games on the schedule.

Does everyone do this? It's the kids' absolute favorite part of the game.

See?

I'll leave you with this favorite video clip of mine from Everybody Loves Raymond about t-ball and "approved snacks".

Sporting Gift Bag

2009-09-18T19:23:00.005-07:00

One of the reasons I love stamping is the ability to customize every project I make. Noah had a birthday party to attend today, so I pulled out the Sporting stamp set and some ink pads and punches, and used them to decorate a simple craft bag and card for the birthday boy.

Stamps: Sporting
Ink: White Craft ink, Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy, Cranberry Crisp (retired)
Accessories: Craft gift bag, Star punch, Large star punch, Small Oval punch, Cranberry Crisp ribbon (retired), gold brad, mounting tape

Fun, easy, and cheap. Doesn't get much better than that, right?

The Difference Between Men and Women

2009-09-03T11:28:00.014-07:00

This morning my husband tried on a pair of pants and realized they were too small. It made me realize the difference between men and women in this situation.

See, when women try on something from their closet that's too small:

They feel guilt. If it fit before, and it doesn't fit now, they must have somehow 'let themselves go'.
They rehang the jeans in a prominent location for 'motivation'.
They look at the offending jeans every day and grit their teeth a little.
They think about how the pants fit fine a few months ago, and how much happier they were back then - back before they became such a slob.
They vow not to buy any more new clothes until they're the size they wore 10 years ago.
They curse their metabolism.
They curse their body type.
They curse the fashion industry for designing clothing for women without hips.
They curse skinny people, especially naturally skinny people.
They pull out their high school yearbooks and wonder why they thought they were so fat back then anyhow.
They join Weight Watchers. Again.
They start drinking ridiculous amounts of water and peeing too frequently.
They start reading food labels and keeping track of things that had no meaning to them before like calories, carbs, fat grams, and fiber.
They stop buying yummy food and start buying things with 'lowfat', 'light', and 'healthy' in the titles.
They log everything that passes their lips into a journal or notebook or onto a weight loss website.
They 'blow it' one day and go on a binge of fruit snacks and Goldfish crackers because it's the only thing in the house resembling junk food.
They start ordering salad dressing on the side.
They park the car a little further away and walk.
They take the stairs.
They lose a few pounds and celebrate by baking chocolate chip cookies.
They gain back those pounds plus a few more and stop baking cookies, brownies, and cupcakes, essentially punishing the whole family for their own lack of self control.
They buy a gym membership.
They buy new work out shoes and sports bras.
They purchase a treadmill because it's really too hard to get to the gym and they're too embarrassed to work out in front of other people anyhow.
They duck whenever anyone pulls out a camera and push the kids in front of them to hide their lower body when forced to be photographed against their will.
They analyze every photo they ever see of themselves, trying to guess their approximate weight at the time the picture was taken, as well as the roundness of their face, and the girth of their arms, compared to now.
They stop giving out candy for Halloween and become those annoying people who hand out erasers and cheap pencils.
They watch fashion and makeover shows to see how to dress to hide their obvious body flaws.
They feel angry that the media has caused them to feel so ashamed of their womanly curves that brought such sweet children into this world and nourished their little bodies for so long.
They curse the same children for making their hips spread, their boobs sag, and their stomach look like a road map.
They rebuke those little brats for being wild and driving them to eat emotionally.
They curse the Krispy Kremes they ate yesterday.
They curse the makers of M&M's, especially the peanut ones, and those new coconut flavored M&M's, which I personally haven't tried yet, but have heard are quite delightful.
They also curse the makers of potato chips, movie theatre popcorn,ice cream, and all Olive Garden restaurant locations for serving their delicious fettuccine alfredo and accompanying salad and breadsticks.
They research liposuction and wonder if there's some sort of discount for getting a tummy tuck and breast lift at the same time; or for bringing in a friend.
They give up on the idea of plastic surgery, at least for now, because one or more of the kids are eventually going to need braces and/or glasses and, with any luck, some type of college fund.
They stop leaving the house because the one pair of jeans they own that actually fit are often in the wash.
After missing yet another Enrichment Night/soccer practice/Pampered Chef party due to the little laundry situation, they finally resolve to buy another pair of jeans, swearing they'll get rid of them as soon as they lose the weight.
While out shopping for the aforementioned jeans, they have a mini breakdown in the dressing room when they realize that they're actually up not just one, but TWO sizes, and the only jeans that will now sufficiently cover their butt crack when they sit down are 'Mom Jeans'.
Still in the dressing room, they lean against the wall and weep silently after overhearing the 18-year-old in the next stall loudly lament to her BFF that the size 2's she's trying on are just too big.
Finally, they shamefully wear the new larger jeans and realize that, because they are not cutting off circulation to the lower half of their body, the jeans are actually quite comfy.

And men?

Well, when men discover that their pants are too small, they just go out and buy new pants.

Stampin' Up! Convention 2009

2009-08-17T11:50:00.001-07:00

From August 5th through the 9th I was in Salt Lake City having a blast at the Stampin' Up! Convention.

The first day, I invited my sisters to some see Stampin' Up!'s headquarters in Riverton, Utah. We toured the building and then met my mother for dinner and went out shopping.

Ann, Beth, Nancy, and me

Even though I went to the Convention last year and had a blast, I wasn't sure I'd be attending again this year. Some of the sweetest ladies ever that I met online actually convinced me to go! They call themselves the Sparkle Sisters and completely welcomed me into their group!

This is me with my new friend Julie, and we're proudly wearing our Sparkle Sister tiaras, lovingly made by another new friend, Comeka. Lots of people we didn't know stopped us and wanted to take pictures of our lovely crowns. (Seriously, wearing this kind of stuff is NORMAL at a Stampin' Up! Convention, I promise!) What a fun idea for a princess party, huh?

The second night of the Convention we attended the first annual Stampin' Addicts Meet & Greet. Stampin' Addicts is a website that's all Stampin' Up! all the time. People share photos in a gallery and discuss projects they've made using Stampin' Up! products.

Here's the group of Sparkle Sisters on the last day of the Convention. On the back row is Cheryl, Comeka, and Holly, and the front row is Jess, Me, and Julie. I had so much fun hanging out with these ladies!

A big part of the convention are all the awesome ideas on display. There are cards, scrapbook pages, and home decorating ideas everywhere you look. I didn't know it until later, but a card I submitted last year was up on one of the display boards!

Here we're all listening to the the co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!, Shelli Gardner.

This is Cheryl. She decorated a name tag for me for the Stampin' Addicts Meet & Greet, and made some gorgeous earrings in a darling little paper purse for me.

Here I am after the Convention was over.
Whew! What an event! I was tired for days afterward!

And this is what I found when I got home. You can't know how truly relieved I was to know that nobody starved while I was gone.

Hey kids, do you know what time it is?!

2009-08-10T21:08:00.009-07:00

Zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,

Guess whose kids went back to school today?!
Plenty of homework headed our way,
But, zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

I have three free hours daily,
It's the truth,
It's awesome!
Imagine everything I'll get done!
Zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-ay,
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!
Wonderful feeling, won-der-ful day!!

Zachary, the Third Grader

And Noah, ready for his first day of Kindergarten

Monster Jam 2009

2009-08-03T09:52:00.011-07:00

I overheard the ad for Monster Jam late one night while grocery shopping and later told Nate I thought it might be a fun thing to do with the boys.

(I know, can you believe it? It was actually MY idea! What is this world coming to?!)

None of us had ever been to anything like this before, and it was definitely an adventure!

This was Zach's favorite truck, Blue Thunder.

Nate, who I jokingly refer to as "the ultimate consumer",
just HAD to pick up t-shirts for the boys.

This is "Maximum Destruction", which, as you can see, turned out to be a pretty accurate description.

Honestly, we didn't purposely buy these crazy hats, they came with the requisite cotton candy.

Noah gave the event two thumbs up.

To say it was loud is the biggest understatement of the year. We stopped and bought earplugs on the way (good tip, Kara!), but next time (yes, there could be a next time) we'd make sure to have the noise reducing earphones for the kids instead. It was too hard to get those little foam ear plugs in the kid's ears correctly, and I consider myself a bit of an expert from my bullet making/gun range sweeping days.

Because of Zach's sensory issues, he got overwhelmed after a while and wanted to leave. Nate got him to focus on something else for a while.

Here's proof that I was actually there and enjoying it.

Superman was my favorite truck.

And here's the crowd favorite, Grave Digger.

The grand finale of the event was the final demise of Grave Digger. But don't worry, I'm sure he'll rise again, in another city somewhere soon, because the show must go on.

It's a miracle. I made some cards.

2009-07-28T17:49:00.003-07:00

Yeah, that's right.

I ran across an old Lisa Bearnson freebie card kit while attempting to clean out my craft room and figured, hey, why not open it up and see what the heck is in there?

Turns out it was all the goodies to make these five cards.

If may so myself, (and I think I may, since I didn't do anything but slap the elements of the pre-designed cards together), they turned out quite cute!

BOGO at Jamba Juice!

2009-07-28T16:44:00.006-07:00

Just thought I'd let you in on a deal I ran across on one of MY favorite things.

(Man, I'm like Oprah or something. Except I won't be buying these in bulk and handing them out to a large group of cheering and crying women or anything. I'm just letting you in on the deal. So I guess I'm really NOT like Oprah.)

But I love a good bargain, and I love sharing the details on a good bargain as well, because that's how I roll.

Check it out!

It's a coupon for a free Jamba Juice when you when buy one. One coupon per visit.

Hurry, it expires August 9th!

Final Deal of the Week - Heart To Heart Punch

2009-07-27T15:08:00.010-07:00

Summer is flying by and it's the final week of the Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week promotion. During this week only, you can purchase the Heart To Heart Punch at a 30% discount. Normally $15.95, this punch is now $10.99.

Aside from punching 3 adorable heart shapes, this punch also coordinates with the Love You Much stamp set found in the current Idea Book & Catalog on page 44.

Love You Much stamp set
Item # 113756
Page 44

Contact me before August 2nd to place an order.

Deal of the Week #4 - Vanilla Hodegpodge Hardware

2009-07-20T12:44:00.004-07:00

This week only you can order the Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware kit at a 30% discount! The kit includes approximately 100 metal embellishments and 100 coordinating 3/16" brads.

This set normally sells for $29.95, but this week you can get it for just $18.99!

Contact me to place your order before this deal ends on Sunday, July 26th.

Bounce U

2009-07-16T13:36:00.008-07:00

It's hit that time of summer when my kids are bored.

Not just, "Mom there's nothing to do!" bored, but true lethargy that borders on...well, I don't know, maybe depression? They lie around in their pajamas, basking in the glory of the air conditioning. Apathetic, they seem capable only of holding a remote, or a Wii controller, or pushing a computer mouse. I've tried to be motivating by suggesting they go and play outside in the sprinklers, or pull out the Lego blocks, or read books.

I've been met with apathy.

I've tried bribery: "Hey, let's get ready and go to MCDONALD'S!!"

No dice.

We've had friends over to play, and set goals of pages to be read and skills to be learned.

And yet they're STILL drawn to the large light projecting box in our family room like moths to a flame.

How ever did this happen?

When summer first started and the video games became a large part of their daily schedule, I really wasn't that concerned. It's summer, I reasoned with myself. They have the rest of the year to be on a schedule and worry their minds with more educational activities. We balanced it out with a little swimming here and there, and it was all okay. At least I thought it was.

That was a few weeks ago, but now that school's been out since the end up May, and it's hotter outside than, well...everything else in the world, the kids don't seem to want to budge from the family room, namely, from their spots in front of the television. when I complained to Nate that our television sees more of our kids' bright shiny faces than I do, he decided to come up with a plan.

His solution to shake it up a bit and get us all out of this funk? A reservation for Bounce U. Only he wouldn't be accompanying us. The goofball.

The reason we should probably get one of these helmet thingies for Noah to wear at home.

Taken on the car ride home.

I should report that Nate's little plan may have actually worked. The kids are moving around more today, once again speaking in complete sentences, and are currently playing with a dusty LiteBrite I had hidden on a high shelf in the closet.

Oh wait...I may have spoken too soon. I think I hear the sound of the Wii starting up again!

Gotta go!

Out of the mouth of my 5 year old...

2009-07-14T12:43:00.002-07:00

This morning Noah was playing video games and blurted out:

"Man, my pits are getting so wet, I'm turning into Dad!"

Nate has been known to have a bit of a sweating problem, particularly while watching intense basketball games on television. I've never seen anyone else with sweat rings down to their waist while sitting in an air conditioned room, have you?

Deal of the Week #3 - Square Fire Rhinestone Brads

2009-07-13T14:59:00.005-07:00

These square brads come in a package of approximately 80 brads in 2 different sizes, and 4 colors (pink, red, pumpkin, and yellow) to coordinate with Stampin' Up!'s exclusive colors.

Regular price is $10.95, but this week only, they're $6.99!

Contact me for more information or to place an order today!

Deal of the Week #2 is the Big Shot Doctor's Bag

2009-07-06T12:37:00.007-07:00

What is it? It's a huge bag to carry and store your Big Shot machine, cutting pads, and dies in style.

(Rumor has it that it makes a super cute overnight bag too!)

Regular price: $69.95

but this week only, it's

$49.99!

(That's a 30% savings!)

Be sure to contact me to order before this special ends on July 12th!

The new catalog is here!

2009-07-01T17:47:00.011-07:00

And isn't it beautiful?

Contact me now to get your own copy for $5 and receive a $5 coupon good towards a $50 order.

And, as a special Summer Surprise, every week during the month of July Stampin' Up! will offer one discounted product as a "Deal of the Week." .

This week's deal is the Scallop Edge Punch, which normally sells for $15.95, but this week only, it's yours for $10.99!

Family fun in the sun

2009-06-23T11:46:00.005-07:00

Last Friday we took the kids to the Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center for some fun in the sun. The place is huge and the prices are awesome! Our whole family got in for $4!

Here's Noah going down the water slide.

And Zachary's turn.

There's a 'lazy river' with inner tubes.

And a 'vortex pool', which fascinated Zachary.

Noah and I hung out while Zachary and Nate played in the lazy river:

After just a couple of hours, the kids were pretty much wiped out for the day. That's MY kind of family adventure!

Sorry I couldn't make dinner tonight, Honey...

2009-06-18T13:24:00.005-07:00

There's a giant, hairy beast asleep in front of the stove.

Thelma has chosen a new nap location, and it's darn inconvenient. You'd think she'd pick somewhere more cushy and carpeted, but I suppose when it's this hot outside, sleeping on the nice cool tile must feel pretty nice. She's put on quite a bit of padding since we've had her, so I don't think she minds too much.

Come to think of it, she sure has a knack for finding inopportune spots to snooze. If I'm washing dishes, she likes to sneak over and lie down on the rug next to my feet, completely unnoticed. It's caused many near accidents as I trip over her, but I'm definitely improving my dish juggling skills. What a bonus, right? She also likes to sprawl out in front of doors, some of which swing inward and give her a good whack. But her most favorite spot of all is under the computer desk. There's no point in pushing the chair in anymore, she just scoots it out with her big body when she goes to lie down.

I know we went through quite a rough patch with this canine when she first arrived, but I'm happy to say she's turned out to be quite a sweet dog. There's something comforting about having her around, especially when Nate goes out of town. She puts up with the boys poking and prodding and never snaps back, actually choosing to follow them outside to keep watch over them. And while not exactly the best running partner, she IS always willing to go along.

And so I'll keep tripping over her, vacuuming up her enormous amounts of dog hair, and nudging her out of my way, because deep down, I really like "Princess Stinky Toots" and I'm glad we took the time to work through her little 'issues'.

I do still miss those brown boots of mine she chewed up though...

Happy Summer!

2009-06-09T20:04:00.002-07:00

One of our sunflowers finally popped open. Amazing, isn't it? Three months ago this was just a little seed we planted in the ground, now it's taller I am. How can you not be happy just looking at it?