August 31, 2008
August 28, 2008
Nice parenting job
shoes squeak on floor. Instead of ASKING him to stop, she smacks him
across face. Nice.
Sent from my iPhone
August 26, 2008
Restaurant Review: CakeLove in Tyson's Corner Mall
Well, Sunday hubby sent me shopping by myself for some well-deserved alone time and I saw CakeLove! A cupcake store!
I bought 5 for $15 - kinda pricey but I figured it was worth it for just-baked all-natural cupcakes!
I got a coffee one, chocolate with vanilla icing, chocolate with chocolate icing, vanilla with vanilla icing and vanilla with chocolate icing.
My hubby said "eh." when he ate his.
Mine was over cooked and the top of the cupcake (under the icing) was hard! Not full of flavor either.
THE SIX YEAR OLD WOULDN'T EAT IT - HE DIDN'T LIKE THE TASTE (OR LACK OF) AT ALL.
Bummer. I had such high hopes, but at least I won't be paying $3 a cupcake all the time!
maybe i'm not supposed to work today!
My normal route was STANDING STILL (rt. 606 to rt. 28). Since rt. 606 goes, in a roundabout way, also to my office I decide to not get on 28 (well, at least to get out of line to get on 28, since the line wasn't moving). 1 minute down 606 IT also comes to a complete standstill. It is a small road and unable to handle the overflow of everyone, like me, ditching rt. 28. I turn around and head back towards home and get on the mega-expensive toll road - it is $3 and I go 1 mile on it. It is also a parking lot, but one that is moving at 0.25 mph because the 6 lanes thru the toll booth merge down to TWO lanes 50 feet after the toll booth. Good planning there, State of Virginia!
So it took me 60 minutes to get from my house, to my office 7 miles away. I love Northern Virginia.
August 22, 2008
seen is a word isn't it?
I would...
Hubby and I discussed this a while back
August 21, 2008
Only 2 more days!
Google chat
Thank u for letting me have those conversations! And not relating
slurring into typing!! I love my late nights alone with the Internet,
the tv, and iTunes!
Sent from my iPhone
August 18, 2008
August 16, 2008
my little monkey
August 15, 2008
August 14, 2008
August 13, 2008
August 10, 2008
August 09, 2008
August 08, 2008
Mid-pedicure
niece is doing mine until my lady is done with her other client.
Of course the niece is not as good, and I can't say anything, drat.
August 07, 2008
DMV
I had to go Tuesday and renew my license (it expired and the State of Virginia insisted I have a vision test). That took 35 minutes, plus 20 minutes to get there and 20 minutes to get back. Really, at my age ( < 40!) I do not NEED A VISION TEST. SERIOUSLY State of Virginia, thanks for wasting my time. Shouldn't I just be able to pay a fee and get on with it - ELECTRONICALLY? Would've saved me time AND gas! They could say they're going green and NOT MAKING EVERYONE COME DOWN THERE FOR DUMB THINGS. Hell, even raise the fees, I don't care as long as I don't have to waste my lunch break (I'd much rather be out to lunch!) than heading down there.
So last night my little brother called - Mom's license plates expired. Since this is my responsibility, and we're going on vacation Saturday (and they are taking Mom's car), I HAVE TO GOTO THE DMV AGAIN TODAY! ARGH! Someone shoot me now.
August 06, 2008
SPIDER ON MY CHILD!
Well, today, while taking the 3 kids on a totally joyous fun-filled trip to Target, I look at Preschooler and see A HUGE SPIDER ON HIS CHEST. And he wasn't wearing a Spiderman shirt! ;-)
Of course I start screaming and am trying to extricate him from the stroller and get him to let go of the fruit roll up he's eating (that stuff is like crack for them I swear) so I can flick it off.
What if it bit him? Where is my hubby when I REALLY need him? GROSS GROSS - what if it ALREADY bit him somewhere? Yikes. NOW the strollers will be stored inside our vehicles.
August 04, 2008
JetBlue
planning a good-bye for the intern
His last day is Wednesday and we're trying to plan a going away event. For a long time we were going to do indoor go-karts. Until we discovered it is $80 per person to do that.
So then we've been emailing back and forth (and killing the Outlook server) about what to do -
The choices we came up with were:
Laser Tag
Bowling
Visit Museum
Movie
Then we disucssed Mini-Golf and decided it would be too hot.
Then Bowling. And cue the discussions on lack of socks worn today by the women on team (ok, I started that discussion, but WHO WANTS TO WEAR BOWLING SHOES WITHOUT SOCKS? EWWWW).
So we're going to play pool.
August 03, 2008
Happy Birthday to me!!
Then at 10, he went to the Fractured Prune and got fresh donuts for a snack!
Then he helped me take the kids to my grandparents because she made me an awesome southern cake (with the homemade southern hard chocolate icing!).
pretty good, eh?
My girlfriend says the reason I don't hate being 35 (she turned it in March) is that I have no wrinkles! Maybe that's why, but I don't feel older than I did when I was about 23? (except of course when I have to change a diaper or break up a fight!).
August 01, 2008
Yard sale prep!
This is 1/2 of the clothes too small for babyj - 5 boxes left to sort
and 10 boxes in basement that the kids haven't grown into yet.
Plus u don't see the boxes of bibs hats and shoes for sale!
Blog The Recession!
Motherhood Uncensored has what I think is a great idea! Click thru your feed readers to the blogs! People will get some ad revenue for the click thrus and click on an ad if you see something interesting! It doesn't cost you anything and you're helping people out!
What do you think?
July 31, 2008
something terrible has happened...
http://midwesternmommy.com/
small update on playground wars
He said he was inside standing in the window pondering how to go tell that fool to get off property that isn't his and he saw me come running out, pointer finger going crazy! He is also totally baffled that people would come play in the yards of people that they do not know. He pointed out that these people don't even come over to say HI! if they seem him or us outside. They just wait for us to be gone and run to use our stuff. Losers.
July 30, 2008
funniest twitter comment ever... (or so far in it's tiny existence)
I found this on "DCist"...
Funniest Twitter comment from the Los Angeles earthquake earlier today: "I am totally serious. My Ob/Gyn was IN my vagina and an earthquake started rattling the room!"
July 29, 2008
seriously? What is wrong with the world today...
Today's headlines on foxnews.com:
"Mistaken About Taunting, Dad Stabs Boy In Face"
"Unattended Infant Mauled By Dog"
"Mom Puts Baby In Fish Tank To Stop Its Crying"
"Motorist Hits Husband, Drives Off As He Dies"
Really people - is there not enough wrong with the world that we have to hurt the ones we love (or not care for them properly as in the mauling article)??
Everyone play nice please. I can't even read the articles about the parents hurting children. HOW CAN ONE DO THAT? How, how, how? I have been frustrated - when my husband is gone for 60 days at a time I can go crazy too. Know what I do rather than drown my children? I call someone to vent....I go outside....I go upstairs for a moment...I tell the kids that Mommy needs a timeout and not to talk to her for a moment. It doesn't even occur to me to hurt them. There's enough going on in the world where we should be nice to each other - we are all we've got! There are plenty of people out there that would hurt us if given the chance, let's try and be able to trust our own.
Playground trespass!
the street ( that we do not know ) we using out neighbors playset
( which they have been asked not to do ). Well I had to leave the
house 2 min later and guess what? They were in OUR playset!
I stormed out there telling ( not yelling. Not rudely. ) them to get
off!
And the dad was all "sorry! Sorry!" ( they are Pakistani ), I said
"no! Please GET OFF!".
They waited til they thought we were not home to trespass, so they
know we wouldn't like it. What us wrong with them?
And FYI, they are currently having their basement finished, so they
could have bought a set if they wanted.
July 28, 2008
made it to the gym again!
I hit snooze 2 times, then bounded out of bed to head to the gym! I did a full circuit of leg workouts then ran for 28 minutes (then walked up hill at 4.0 for 5 more minutes). YAY me! Last week I got 3 workouts in, let's see how this week goes! But so far, it looks promising!
I have to admit one of the things that gets me out of bed in the morning is that our gym only has 2 showers and I'm terrified of getting there late and having to wait in line to shower, in which case I'd probably just shoot myself.
In other news, I'm updating my links tonight to add my new friends Red and Blondy - am I missing anyone else?
July 27, 2008
Oh no!
"What?!" I asked - it is RARE that he is up voluntairily at this hour - especially when the alarm was going to go off at 5:15 for him to get up and goto work (covering the shift for one of his workers that has a pregnant wife - she can't watch their other child all day w/out going into contractions)...
"I LEFT THE HOSE ON ALL NIGHT filling the pool!"
YIKES! The pool is about 1 mm from overflowing.
UPDATE: and now it is raining!
July 26, 2008
July 24, 2008
July 22, 2008
guess what we scored today?
July 21, 2008
GO ME!
I got up at 5 a.m. today and went to the gym!
Now, before I had kids, I was there 5 times a week, when they opened the door (I had the number to call the openers if they overslept! I was EARLY!).
After having the oldest son, I switched to working out at lunchtime, 3 or 4 days per week.
After having the second son, I had just started running again LITERALLY 4 days before I found out I was pregnant with Number 3.
Since having BabyJ my schedule has been nuts. I joined the gym in Sept. and went maybe twice before Hubby went out of town for all of October. Then the holidays hit and any extra time was spent shopping and doing stuff w/the kids. In January I tried to start going again but Hubby when out of town for all of February. Finally in June (after going once or twice in april and may) I said "OK - I go Tues and Thurs after work! No ifs ands or buts!"....hahahahaha.
Now to be clear, Hubby doesn't ever tell me not to go. He encourages me to go....but when life gets in the way, I feel guilty about canceling something else or telling the kids we can't do what they want to do because mommy has to goto the gym, so it's always the first thing I cross of the schedule (going away for the weekend? Then the Thurs workout is out. Get home from work late? Workout is out - we can't have dinner late).
Well...I decided to put the workout where I CAN CONTROL whether or not I go. And the only timeframe that I have control over is 5 a.m., so there we go.
And the feeling of having control of my schedule for the first time in FOREVER is great (Note: the kids weren't sleeping well enough every night until mabye May to even consider this - i'm not getting up in the middle of the night, then going to the gym at 4:50 a.m.!)...
Wish me luck - tomorrow is another gym day! I'm shooting for 3 workouts a week!
July 19, 2008
July 17, 2008
Baby Borrowers: The mom of the vegetarian boys is MIS-INFORMED
FIRST OF ALL - growing boys need more protein than that.
Then she LECTURES the teen (note: this is NOT the most effective way to speak to teenagers, which this mom will find out when her sons are older) that if she eats poorly her children will automatically be obese and sickly.
WRONG.
Now, I do eat poorly. I should eat better. No veggies and fruit for me, in general, although I do love fresh corn on the cob w/butter and green beans cooked in bacon fat. I drink diet coke and water, in that order. BUT... my kids are awesome eaters. They eat a lot of fruit and some vegetables (including carrot-apple juice). If you introduce it when they're young they will drink/eat it and get used to the texture and flavor.
My children are not obese - far from it. They are little powerhouses (the 2 boys have awesome six-pack abs) and the little girl isn't far behind. For weight, they're around 50th percentile, although about 100th percentile for height. EVERY MEAL has fruit or veggies as the first course. EVERY MEAL. If we go out, they eat their fruit at home or in the car before we goto the restaurant or I bring their fruit to the restaurant and they eat it before the food comes.
Should that teen eat a better diet? Of course. Will trying to scare her into a better diet work? No, and the mom was WRONG about how the kids turn out if the kids don't eat well.
AND I know TONS of parents that DO eat fresh fruits and veggies all the time and their kids live off mac&cheese and nuggets! Generally, my kids eat a better variety than their kids (2 of my kids eat tofu! Broccoli!)
July 16, 2008
July 15, 2008
are you watching Nashville Star?
The blond chick - she sucks. I'm surprised John Rich likes her because she sounds awful and her voice is not powerful enough.
Gabe - he is AWESOME.
Melissa - she is AWESOME. Oversinging it my ass. She did GREAT and she was confident and looked like she was really having fun up there.
Coffey (pronounced Cough-eh, like a redneck trying to sound French). OMG - please do not ever sing a Tim McGraw song again. I thought my ears were going to start bleeding. You are awful. Pulling the sympathy card might get you thru (and chocking up during the song, wah) to next week, but you'll still suck then. I agree with Jeff and John - you are NOT country and we can see right thru you.
Shawn - omg, she is terrible. And this young lady is NO Carrie Underwood, and she butchered her song. She could also stand to watch herself on video because the faces she makes while singing are painful and downright scary. And not dressing like a whore might help too.
I feel strongly about this, can you tell? I love country music and have listened to it all my life. I am quite offended by Jewel's entrance into country (marrying a rodeo guy doesn't make you country!) and by her being on this show. (don't get me started on Jessica Freaking-Simpson's new country song - PLEASE) I can't imagine any of these loser people winning - it has to be Gabe or Melissa.
July 12, 2008
Tony Snow
July 11, 2008
and no babysitter...
Right now we've got a long day ahead of us - Son is in soccer camp and they're playing the coaches today. I'm trying to work up the strength to take the 2 little ones to go watch - but it's in the searing sun with no shade. What do you think - fun or not?
The diet is going ok - I promised myself a set of super cool bluetooth headphones for my iphone if I can lose 5 pds - and then I read last night that the iphone doesn't support stereo bluetooth! Eh? Seriously? It has gps but not bluetooth for listening to music? What kind of crack are they smokin over there? If they just f-d my diet, I'm going to be mad! That was the only reward I could think of!
July 07, 2008
HANCOCK!
I almost started crying at one point and Hubby hissed at me "You aren't going to cry at a WILL SMITH ACTION MOVIE are you?". But it was great - it was funny and exciting and FRESH! A new idea AND it has a plot twist that you won't see coming.
I give it MANY THUMBS UP - GO SEE IT!
July 06, 2008
July 04, 2008
July 03, 2008
July 01, 2008
and...
June 26, 2008
Baby Borrowers
Where people LOAN THEIR BABY TO A TEENAGER that wants to prove they are ready to be mommies.
SERIOUSLY? http://www.nbc.com/The_Baby_Borrowers/about/
Now, make no mistake, I'll be watching this show, but who in their right minds hands their children over to inexperienced teenagers? Who, obviously are immature if they think having a baby when you are a teenager is a good idea!
June 25, 2008
MOVIE Review: I Am Legend
What a scary movie. The graphics AND the plot are AWESOME - the whole movie kept me on the edge of my seat. SERIOUSLY.
I loved it - if you haven't seen it, do!
And Will Smith is awesome in it - it has to be hard carrying a movie on your shoulders. He is alone in the movie for most of it except a bit at the end.
June 23, 2008
Weekend Update - I ATE TOO MUCH!
So - I had cookie dough and cookies Saturday afternoon and beer Saturday night.
Then yesterday I baked a vanilla/chocolate marble cake (from scratch) with homemade butter cream frosting because we had all the ingredients laying around and I didn't want them to go bad. So not only did I have a slice of cake, I had batter and icing!
(I also bought a bag of cheetos in a moment of weakness Friday which I managed to eat most of this weekend).
I have no idea why I can't get these 5 pounds off!
June 21, 2008
what a Saturday!
June 17, 2008
June 16, 2008
June 13, 2008
a wonderful day!
It wasn't too hot so it was great. And NO CROWD at all! We did really have a blast!
If you go:
Bring Sunscreen.
Bring re-fillable water bottles ( $3 a bottle there! )
Buy the all day refillable bottle if you're a soda freak like me (every 2nd cup I'd get lemonade and share with hubby) - so for $8 we got like 7 giant drinks.
Bring bandaids!
Bring hats and little snacks!
BRING EXTRA Clothes - the kids didn't get dirty by BabyJ dumped water down her diaper and on her clothes.
ALSO - the don't seem to sell any fruit or healthy snacks AT ALL. I understand having a limited selection, but NONE? Disney has caught on since last December when we were there - now they have fruit at every stand! Such a good idea!
June 11, 2008
PRODUCT REVIEW: Papa John's Wheat Crust Pizza
Like with many whole wheat or low fat options, they use a spicier sauce than on the regular although they didn't need to, it was like regular crust. But the new sauce is good! Just have a water handy!
I definitely give it a thumbs up!!!
June 05, 2008
gave blood!
June 04, 2008
owners of our truck!
June 03, 2008
diaper review: Target Brand Diapers.
WRONG!
The sizing was fine - very similar to Pampers.
We didn't get any leaks or blow-outs, which is good.
BUT the diapers don't keep the BABY as dry as the Pampers do. When I opened her diaper numerous times she was damp. Which, because we change our children whenever we notice that they are wet (as opposed to the other theory of "wait until the diaper is full", which, GROSS. Why would you want your precious child toting around pee until the diaper is full??? That's nasty) she didn't get a rash, but I could see she gets pinker when we use the Target ones. And I have to think that it also feels gross to be damp like that. So for now, I'm only using Target sporadically, and never 2 in a row until the pack runs out and I won't buy them again.
May 24, 2008
so...back to reality
But that taste of our old life - the fun carefree life before we had kids. Remembering what it is like to have fun with each other! And have one another's full attention! And eat a meal in peace! It's almost shocking to come home and be dropped into the life as parents of three children - especially since the 2 little ones are SO little.
We have already started planning our next escape!
May 19, 2008
at IBM PULSE 2008
May 13, 2008
some awesome talent
http://www.google.com/doodle4google/vote.html#
May 07, 2008
WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!
May 01, 2008
Product Reviews: Seventh Generation Dishwasher detergent vs. Palmolive ECO
*Note this is not a paid/supported review, just my findings over time!
April 28, 2008
well well well...
April 26, 2008
April 23, 2008
April 18, 2008
party time!
Wish me luck!
April 14, 2008
April 09, 2008
pray for strength
April 08, 2008
going to break her cell phone
March 28, 2008
and the older women too!
She said she had been watching him in his afterschool ultimate sports camp and wanted to chat with him. And was he busy watching her too? Thank GOODNESS Son is So Not Interested in girls, but it is odd.
March 27, 2008
i have fainted.
One invitation to SPEND THE NIGHT....OMG. Hubby and I almost dropped dead.
And one letter just professing love.
Good lord people, he is SIX and in Kindergarten! What on earth is going on?
March 25, 2008
menu planning works for me!
Since our grocery bill (5 people!) has gotten out of control - the rising prices are killing us, especially since I try to buy Organic if it's an option for that product (they make organic chocolate!) - we're looking at EASILY $200 a week (and that doesn't include formula for the baby).
So yesterday I made my menu for the week (which doesn't include fast food or restaurant food for the whole week and went to the store. Well, pizzas were on sale, so I bought 5. And I bought baby cereal, ice cream (buy 1 get 1 free!), walnuts (heart healthy!), a jug of gatorade, and a couple of other things that weren't on the list.
The total: $130! So I got everything we needed, plus a few bonuses and spent way less! YAY!
March 20, 2008
Look 10 Years Younger!
so, um yeah - SKIING!
For the first time in YEARS, I got to ski! And not only SKI, but ski EVERY DAY. FOR TWO HOURS. With hubby! Without children! It was AWESOME!
I spent Monday - Thursday working on my technique (which was crappy). I can get down any slope (Jupiter Bowl in Deer Valley? Where they did the OLYMPICS? Check! I can get down it - not ski it well, but I didn't die!). But I wanted to ski more like all those rich people skiing around who get to ski more often than once every six years! So I worked and worked and worked on my technique. And I improved! Yay me! I even went down the Campground Run - which is a BLACK! And a Black on the west coast is WAY HARDER (steeper! LONGER! STEEPER!) than a black on the east coast skiing. I laugh at blacks on the east coast, because EVEN if you find them scary, they only last 1/8 of the time the ones out west do! But I did it! And I didn't do too bad!
But then Thursday night, we got snow. At the base of the mountain, it was like 16 - 19 inches, easily 2 feet at the top. I've never skied that much fresh powder before, so out we went into the blizzard (it was still snowing like crazy Friday morning). And the first thing I did was fall down! Into 2 feet of powder. Which is pretty much like falling into 2 feet of water - you get submerged. It was neat! So I went down the green as I was a bit shaken - skiing in 2 feet of powder is nothing like skiing on a well used run! MISTAKE! Apparently no one skis green slopes in that much powder because the powder makes you go so slow. SO I was skiing on totally unskied territory and I was alone. And terrified I was going to screw up in all that mush and go flying off the mountain. But they had run a snowmobile around the slope for morons like me so I just went in it's track and finally got to where the run crossed where Hubby was waiting for me. But by the end of our time, I had improved my powder skillz as well, aren't you proud?
And SON? He is an awesome skier! We skied with him a couple of times (he was in ski school all day and loving it) and he blows our minds! He tried to ski thru the woods! And tried to get over to the jumps! Thank goodness he didn't see those things in time to ski over to get to them!
Anyway - more on what we did that wasn't skiing coming up next!
March 17, 2008
And we're back!
But the time change! YIKES! We flew out west March 7, and had a 2 hour time difference. Then the clocks sprung forward on March 8. Then we returned home and NO ONE set OUR clocks forward so all day yesterday in addition to being off by 2 hours for the time zone, we were off 1 hour because the clocks were wrong... And man did we manage to screw up everyone's body clock!
March 02, 2008
going green!
Here's what we're doing!!
Oh, except for the green cleaners. Those are damn expensive. Also the dishwasher soap doesn't seem to work very well - I've tried Seventh Generation liquid and powder and they both suck. Any suggestions?
The products, well, that part is getting expensive!
February 26, 2008
one suitcase???
i am not for Obama
Barack Obama in 2004 responding to the question of why he was ruling out running for president in 2008:
"You know, I am a believer in knowing what you're doing when you apply for a job. And I think that if I were to seriously consider running on a national ticket, I would essentially have to start now, before having served a day in the Senate. Now, there are some people who might be comfortable doing that, but I'm not one of those people."
From Rachel Lucas.
February 24, 2008
so many tears
warning, you probably won't be able to read this without crying...
http://flotsamblog.com/2008/02/24/the-golden-ticket/
February 17, 2008
OMG!
We have Bobby Brown, Dee Schnieder (from Twisted Sister), Maureen that played Marsha Brady, Carnie Philips, Julio Iglesias JR., and some chick from American Idol. Oh, and Sisqo (The Thong Song guy). It's great, and who doesn't love John Rich?! He is so...so....HIM. He's a great artist with great insight. I always have a lot more respect for artists that write their own music and he writes his own and a lot of the other country music out there. It's worth tuning in! And they show his awesome house, Gretchen Wilson's farm and who knows what else!
February 15, 2008
well.
Check them out: http://www.compassion.com/default.htm
grrrr.
I HATE it when someone else's problems become MY problems. Fuck.























