Springfield, here I come...
If I were a Simpsons character, I would look like this:
Cool, huh?
To create your own personalized character, check out this cool site.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Remote Control
So, have you ever walked up to your front door, with car keys in hand, and stood there wondering why your door wasn't opening? I mean, there you are, clicking the unlock button on your car remote and everything.
No?
Just me then.
Friday, July 27, 2007
A cupcake a day...
So lately I've been all about cupcakes. Love them. Any excuse to make them and I'm all over it.
Birthdays? Of course, call for cupcakes.
Visiting grandparents? Definitely a cupcake occasion.
Cake mix on sale? It would be a crime (a crime!) not to make cupcakes.
A new cupcake mix by Betty Crocker? What self respecting cupcake lover could walk by this in the store and not by a box or five?
Who cares if the new cupcake mix is just cake mix repackaged. Not me! The mix has just the right amount for one pan of 12 cupcakes. Which, let's face it, is better for my thighs. And the thing that really sold me was that they include 12 little cupcake liners. Too, too perfect!
Oh - and did you know you can substitute applesauce for oil in your recipes? Probably everyone in the world already knew that, but I just found out. This little fact saved me from a complete cupcake disaster and it totally worked. I didn't notice a difference in taste and neither did any of the other picky eaters in my house. Cool!
The cute picture above came from a way cool blog all about cupcakes. I will definitely be checking out this blog for more yummy cupcake ideas.
The little engine that could
Oh my gosh y'all! Today we rode on Thomas the Train!
There was a little girl in our home that was SO EXCITED to see Thomas. She woke up talking about it this morning and the day did not disappoint.
Check out Rob's post about our morning for more pictures and scoop.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Public service announcement
To: Parents everywhere
If you are in a mall and you happen to see a play area like the one pictured above, please note that this play area is for small children.
It's not for big kids. Not at all.
It's not a race track for big kids to show off their amazing speed or organize a game of tag.
It's not a bounce house where big kids can climb to the top of each piece of equipment and then JUMP! to the ground or JUMP! onto the next piece.
It's not a gymnasium where big kids can practice their tumbling and acrobatic skills.
You may be thinking to yourself... "How will I know if my child is too big for the play area?"
Simply look for the arrow at the entrance to the play area. If your little angel is taller than the arrow, please ask them to take their running, jumping and tumbling talents elsewhere.
Thank you.
Monday, July 23, 2007
A round of applause
What better way to celebrate the many milestones of mommy-hood than with these cool Mama Merit Badges? Your 1,000th diaper change, surviving baby's first shots, dining out with an unruly toddler - the un-sung victories of mamas everywhere.
Note: The very first badge is for breastfeeding - so if you might be offended by a giant embroidered boob, this may not be the link for you. :)
Friday, July 20, 2007
Nerd alert
I haven't read any of the books about a certain boy-wizard. Nor have I seen any of the movies.
After seeing this article, I'm thinking it's probably a good thing.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Camp life
While Rob was off at camp this week, Janie and I spent three days being spoiled silly by Grandma and Grandpa. Some highlights:
1. Girly road trip. We left the city and drove through the country pointing out cows and barns and hay and windmills. Every overpass was a 'tunnel' and we let out a squeal as we drove through each one. If we went too long without a tunnel, Janie would declare "We need more tunnels!" and I would totally agree. We rocked out to Ariel and Thomas and Mary Poppins and Mickey Mouse.
2. Vintage toys. It sooo pains me to refer to my childhood toys as vintage. Maybe I should use the word classic. But it really doesn't matter what I call them because Janie found them to be nothing but fun. Take a look at the photos above, then imagine about 20 or 100 of them. And then imagine the playhouse, school, preschool, playground, bus, helicopter, cars, swing set, merry-go-round, tables, chairs, beds, cribs and a desk. Then you will know Janie's version of heaven on earth. Hours and hours she played with these.
3. Outdoor adventure. Being a condo-dwelling family we really don't know the joy that is a backyard. It was really quite shocking. I mean, normally, if we want some outdoor fun, we have to get dressed, find our shoes, apply sunscreen, gather sippy cups and snacks, make sure there is a diaper in the diaper bag, go out the front door, down the stairs, to the carport, load up the car, drive off to the park, unload, play, play, play, encourage toddler to play some more since we went to all this effort, load up the car, drive home, carry tired toddler up the stairs, then collapse on the couch and watch a Thomas the Train movie because we're so exhausted.
But at my parent's house, we could just walk out the back door and play. That was it. Like I said, shocking. And Janie had a blast exploring this cool space - sitting in the hammock, riding a tricycle, making music with Grandpa's wind chimes and just generally running around like a happy toddler.
4. Zoo-fari. We spent one morning at a local zoo. Monkeys - yeah! Sea lions - boo! A certain mom thought that a certain toddler would enjoy watching the feeding of the sea lions. A certain mom did not anticipate the fact that the trainers of said sea lions would ask them to sit up, roll over and make extremely loud barking noises before handing over the fish already. As a certain mom should have predicted, a certain toddler was NOT OKAY with the extremely loud barking sea lions. But other than that, our morning at the zoo and surrounding gardens was a hugely fun.
5. Another Grandma. Janie and I were lucky enough to spend some time with Rob's mom, Karen, in her cool store Queen Mab's. Janie and Grandma spent time playing chase and peek-a-boo around the racks of clothing, trying on purple feather boas, blowing bubbles, playing with a tea set, and exploring all the sparkly wonderful-ness of the store. And we only broke one thing!
6. New Food. Janie tried two new foods! Hello - an actual miracle! Her favorite meal was a picnic breakfast out on the patio. And of course she loved making silly faces with Grandpa during our time at the table. Plus - my mom's cooking? Yummy!!
Since our return home Janie has asked over and over to "go again to Grandma's house." All in all, it was a wonderful couple of days. I'm so thankful for everyone's generosity and the happy memories that were made.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Bounce
Hi. My name is Danana Banana. And I'm addicted to dryer sheets.
Seriously. I have a problem.
The thing is, I put a new dryer sheet in with every load of laundry. But I never take them back out.
This afternoon, after drying a laundry load containing 6 towels and some assorted socks, I counted 24 dryer sheets just hanging out in the dryer.
I'm not sure why I do this. Because, really, it makes laundry folding a lot more complicated. What with having to inspect every single item of clothing for a stuck-on dryer sheet.
Maybe it's because I want my clothes to be really soft and static-free.
Maybe it's because I'm cheap and want to squeeze every ounce of softening power from each sheet.
Maybe it's because of the funny face Rob makes when he pulls on a t-shirt, only to be confronted by a stray dryer sheet that got stuck inside.
Whatever the reason, I think I've hit rock bottom. I'm ready for an intervention and will be checking myself into dryer sheet rehab.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
America, the Beautiful
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates, 1913
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