The Fever.

I woke up this morning and stumbled downstairs.  I kissed my babies good morning and sat in my spot on the couch ("in" rather than "on" because my sink hole is getting pretty deep) waiting for my sweet husband to deliver my coffee to me.  With that first sip of hot vanilla flavored creamy goodness, I acknowledged that I'm awake, and that is when Devon sat close and asked, "Honey, have you blogged recently?"  

Is this a trick question?  He knows that I haven't blogged.  I quickly calculate the days in my head- it has almost been a whole week since my last update.  I shamefully shake my head "no". 

He grabs Paddy (his iPad) and with a few taps of his pointer finger he pulls up this here blog and says, "I know that you haven't, because I've checked, and other people have checked too, and there isn't anything new to read, and that is disappointing." 

Gosh, he is a tough blog boss.  "But I don't really have anything to write about."

"Not a good excuse.  Think of something.  Anything.  Your readers are waiting."

Good grief with the guilt, dude!

So, he asked for something new, and this is what I've got-

This week I watched the Justin Bieber movie Never Say Never.  No, I didn't rush to the theater with crowds of screaming girls.  I watched it in the privacy comfort of my living room.  And considering my known affection for teen heart-throbs, it may come as no surprise that I give it TWO THUMBS UP!  I loved this movie.  It is sort of a documentary about Justin's quick rise to fame and his tour schedule and his upbringing and his proud mama, and I cried real tears no less than five times.  Joe kept looking at me and asking, "Seriously?  Why are you crying again?"  Call me hormonal or call me awesome- but I now officially love the Biebs.  I've got the Bieber Fever! 

But there is a bit of confusion that resides within me.  I don't know whether I want to bake him cookies and ask him if he is getting enough rest, or puffy-paint a t-shirt that says "I LOVE YOU JUSTIN!" and join the masses at his concerts.  Do I relate to his mother as a mama or the fans as a fan?  Either way, I highly recommend this movie :)  It will surprise you!

And just for fun, lets see what it might be like for me to be in Justin's music video :)

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

The first commenter who has seen this movie will receive a special Justin-related prize!  Come on, anyone?

Happy Days

Since my last post was such a crabby crabfest, I thought I'd mix it up and share the stuff that is making me happy. 

By the way, I completely enjoyed all of the comments on "Fussy Mama".  Y'all rock my world!

Oh, hello blue sky!  Won't you stay a while?  Please?

While I'm barking at my kids, breaking up wrestling matches, and huffin' and puffin' while I clean up toys for the 1,000th time, I often look up and see this gift from Lisa, and it makes me smile, and it makes me wonder, "Who is that family? The parents look to be calm and in control, and the kids look to be obedient and kind to each other."  I love it.  Big time.

A trip to the car wash by myself.  Alone.  Without anyone.  Alone.  I am never alone!  I'll call it a twofer.  Two happy treats for the price of one.  A clean car and a few moments of solitude.

Check out who is not on the back of the minivan.  See ya later, Bugs!

(I might hang it from a necklace chain and gift it to Devon.  He could use a little flair!  Or I might turn it into a magnet for the fridge.  Either way, we are keeping Bugs as a reminder of God's constant provision!). 

Hey look!  They are out of the house!

Taco Bell for dinner = Mother of the Year

Devon's fan club

Perhaps the silliest picture I've ever taken

His softball team didn't win the championship, but he did get a t-shirt for 2nd place

A little game of tee ball in the driveway

Lucy and Grandma Donna cover the outfield

Our latest trend is "date day" instead of "date night".  We tend to run errands, but at least we are together and free of the little people.

And there you have it!

Happy days are here again!

Fussy Mama

Lucy: Mom, when is it summer?

Me: I don't know, Baby.  I don't know.

I wish I had something interesting to share, but I don't.  Life is pretty hum-drum right now.  I've tried to blog several times, but I am uninspired.  I am bleh.  And when I feel bleh, this is what you get-

• The weather sucks.  Haven't seen the sun in days. It is cold outside.  The clouds are dark.  Waaaaa!
• Having only one car stinks like armpits and poo (one of our favorite sayings, it means no likey).  Devon drives to work and the kids and I stay home all. day. long.  Emphasis on "long".
• The long days are killing me.  I personally love it when it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon.  If the sky is going to be dark and cloudy anyway, I wish the sunlight would just take a hike.  Night time equals bedtime, bedtime equals mommy's break time, mommy's break time equals sanity.  Sanity is at an all time low!
• Being cooped up in the house results in a scavenger hunt of sorts through our cupboards, so I've been baking a bit.  And I've been eating a bit.  Word of advice- never step on a scale at the end of the day- it does not result in a happy number. Devon properly scolded me, "Never go near a scale at the end of the day! Only in the morning!  After a workout! After going to the bathroom! Never at the end of the day!"  Okay!  Okay!  Lesson learned!
• My favorite jeans are suuuper tight.  Jeans in July???  Yup.
• The weather is so bad that I brought out a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle last Saturday.  Isn't a puzzle the ultimate "stay inside and be cozy" activity?  No one wants to help (except Max, who just throws the pieces across the room).  This puzzle is really tough, and I'm pretty sure that it was created by El Diablo himself.  I average 1 connected piece every 30 minutes.  At this rate, I should be done in approximately 500 hours.  At least I feel like a genius when I connect a piece.
• My television options are limited, so I've been watching past episodes of Intervention.  Emotionally draining and not really a warm and fuzzy feeling type of show.  But a good show nonetheless.
• I've been throwing back liquid Vitamin D like it is Jagermeister and I'm 23.  I'm just kidding. No I'm not.
• My kids boss me around all day.  I feel like their servant.  I wish I had a servant too.  I'm just kidding. No I'm not.
• I received 5 mysterious spam comments on this blog yesterday.  One of them read, "thank you for your information." Another said, "I love your children."  Creepy!
• We still haven't caught the mouse in the garage.  We are using both peanut butter and cheese as bait (I voted for cheese, Devon voted for peanut butter, so it is kind of a contest to see who wins).  I think the little guy interpreted my high pitched scream as a sure sign that he was not welcome and that his death was imminent.  So maybe he is gone.  But my paranoia hasn't waned at all.  I've cleaned all the kitchen cupboards, under the fridge and behind the washer/dryer looking for evidence of unwanted house guests (ie. poo), but I've found nothing.
• Justin Timberlake has been on the media circuit promoting Friends With Benefits, and I am finding him to be- dare I say it??- annoying.  I know!  I know! I can't believe I said it either!  What is this world coming to?!  

Geesh I'm fussy!  I sound like Lucy at the end of the day.  Or Joe in the afternoon.  Or Max in the morning.  Fuss fuss fuss!  I'm praying for sunshine, people!  Sunshine!  Mama needs sunshine!

So there you have it.  Whatcha' got for me, dear reader?  Can you empathize?  Make me laugh?  Inspire me?  Tell me that your favorite jeans don't fit you either?  Reprimand me for complaining about the weather when life could be so much worse?  Send me spam?  Tell me that you've always found JT to be annoying?  Give it to me straight!  I can take it!

Disclaimer: While my mood is definitely cranky, my overall happiness is solid and my perspective is healthy.  Promise.  I'm just grumpy.  Blame Seasonal Affective Disorder.  In July.  Waaaaaa!

My Bark Might Bite

You know how it is awkward to hear your own voice when it is played back on a recording?  Like, when you are watching a home video and your voice is narrating the scene, and you listen while thinking to yourself, Ugh, stop talking! Yikes. Is that really what I sound like? 

Well, how about when you hear yourself played back by one of your children? 

Lately Max has been barking orders.  His vocabulary is still limited, but he gets his little body in a tough-guy stance and gets all bossy and makes commands like, "Sissy, don' do dat!  Stop! NOW!" 

Or "Joe-Joe, wet me pway wiff 'or Wegos! NOW!" 

Or "Mama, I wan' some 'ogurt! NOW!"

The "NOW!" is its own sentence.  It has a gruff sound that rolls off the roof of the mouth with the "N", and the "OW" is hissed through gritted teeth.  "NOW!" is spoken a bit louder than the preceding words, but never shouted.  And it truly is barked.  If your hand gets too close to his mouth when the "NOW!" is released, you might lose a finger.

I've been hearing Max use this roaring command, and I'd wondered when he'd become so bossy, but this morning I payed close attention while he was giving Lucy a piece of his mind, and just like hearing my own voice on a recording, I recognized myself in way he delivered the "NOW!" 

Yikes. Is that really what I sound like?

Several moments flashed through my mind. 

"Max! Get down from there!  NOW!" 

"Lucy!  Clean up this mess!  NOW!" 

"Joe!  Change your attitude!  NOW!"

Yep, he learned it from me.  I'm certain.

What surprised me the most wasn't to see how aggressively the word jumps out of the mouth or to see how perfectly Max imitates my delivery of the word, but rather I was surprised to see how much effort goes forth into one tiny word only to be completely ineffective!  The kids don't obey any faster (if at all) when I end my motherly instructions with "NOW!".  Max and I get the same results from this word.

So, I'm looking for a new, more effective word that won't be so awkward when I see it played back by one of my children!  Maybe I'll try "please"!

Who? Me? Bark at this Lover Boy? Never!

In other news...

Last night we went to Devon's company's employee picnic at the Everett Aquasox game. 

Have I recently declared my love for my husband?  I love him.  A lot.  I love him even though I told him this evening as he was leaving for a softball game that I resent him for getting to do fun things more often than I get to do fun things.  This week's score is Devon, 2 fun, kid-free nights out,  Annie, 0 fun, kid-free nights out.  But, again, I love him!

Joe had a sleep-over last night in a friend's tree house, but they chose to stay awake all night.  I don't remember the last time that I pulled an all-nighter by choice.  Oh, to be young and foolish...   So, he went to bed sometime around 4 o'clock this afternoon and we haven't seen him since!

Max and Lucy are great playmates for each other, but like all siblings, they have their squabbles.  I break up fights several times each day.  Several = more than ten.  More like twenty.  I take away toys that they fight over and they sit in time-outs and they hug and apologize and then they do it all over again.  But at the end of the day they really are the best of friends.  Tonight Lucy was reading books to Bubs (no, she doesn't know how to read), and it was a sweet moment for this mama.

Today was Lucy's half birthday :)  She is pretty excited to be 4 1/2.
And deep in the heart of Texas, a special little boy turned 2 today.  Happy birthday Everett!

Tell me, do you cringe when you hear your own voice?  Tell me!  NOW!

Mayhem

Tonight Devon is at the Mayhem Festival.  "What is the Mayhem Festival?" you ask?  Well, it is a touring festival of hard rock/heavy metal bands.  Yep.  Mayhem.  I'm usually pretty grumpy about Devon staying out late doing fun stuff without me, but considering that 1) he really, really, really wanted to go, and 2) I equally did not want to go, I gave him my blessing to go head bang to his heart's content.  I must remember that my sweet, preppy husband used to look like this-

Gosh this picture makes me happy!  I know, I know, I've used it before.  But it begs to be shown again!

So, here I sit alone. 

Last week I saw a mouse in our garage, and the stupid little rodent is haunting my thoughts.  Devon set traps and we haven't caught anything yet, so maybe the mouse took a hike on his own (Yes? Yes? Tell me yes!), but every night I begin to hear noises that I think might be from the mouse in the bathroom, or the mouse in the kitchen, or the mouse under the sofa...  Devon is only slightly annoyed by my paranoia. But I hate mice.  Eek!  Yuck!

I bought myself a treat today- an US Weekly magazine.  I'm about to dig into the Hollywood gossip.  The cover reads that Justin and Jessica are dating again.  And the cover image is of Kate and William's royal visit to the States.  "Kate brought 40 outfits!"  And it looks like Emily Maynard wants to be the next Bachelorette.   Anyone still watching The Bachelorette?  It is down to the final four bachelors, and I like all of them.  I've lost faith in this reality show as being a viable way to find a spouse, considering the show's success rate, but I find it largely entertaining regardless.  I get so excited to watch "the most dramatic rose ceremony ever!" each week.

Oh, and I can't even talk about what is going to happen on Friday night.  The final episode of Friday Night Lights.  Tears are guaranteed.  Why do the best shows have to end?

Hmmm, what else can I write about?  My sassy girl wore jeans on Sunday and I took a picture to document the rare occasion.  Lucy usually only wears dresses, so it was nice to see her looking cute in her blue jeans.  And girlfriend knows how to strike a pose!

Lucy's ballet class started learning to tap dance last week, so Lu got a shiny new pair of tap shoes.  She wore them in the house for 3 full days until we finally said ENOUGH!  But not before Max got in on the fun.  This is what they looked like as Devon and I were getting ready to go on a date and leave the kids home with Grandma Donna-

They were so pleased with the level of noise that they were producing as they stomped around the kitchen.  Too loud!  We made Max take the shoes off before we said goodbye, and Grandma was grateful that the noise had at least been reduced by half!

Must go read my magazine now... 

Please give me some predictions of who Bachelorette Ashley will choose!

Does Pinterest Pique Your Interest?

Perhaps you've heard about the latest and greatest Internet invention called Pinterest.  I kept hearing about it and I wasn't sure what the fuss was all about until my friend Katie came over last week and gave me a tutorial and guided me through opening my own Pinterest account.

If you are like me, you rip out pages of magazines when you come across something that you like.  Maybe it is a recipe or a haircut or a paint color or a party idea or a bikini clad body that makes you think maybe if I put this picture on my fridge, I'll think twice before I reach for the Ben & Jerry's.

Besides the bikini girl on the fridge, the magazine pages accumulate somewhere, such as a folder or binder.  For example, mine looks like this-

There isn't a whole lot of organization to this binder, but I know where I keep it, and I stuff new pages in from time to time, and occasionally I thumb through it to be inspired or simply to look at a whole bunch of random stuff that makes me happy and piques my interest (by the way, thanks to Bing I just learned that "pique" is a French word meaning "prick," in the sense of "stimulate").

My own mother collects ideas from magazines in the same way, and perhaps her mother does too, but times are changing, ladies, and the updated version of collecting and accumulating ideas is now called Pinterest.

Behold!

Once I opened an account, I added the "pin it" button to my Internet toolbar.

So, while browsing the interest, if I see something I like, such as great hair color, and I think to myself, "oooh, I love her hair color!", then I click my little "pin it" button. 

The "pin it" button displays every photo on the current web page, and I select the one that I want to pin.

Before the photo is pinned to my Pinterest account, I get to select which board I want to pin it to and I can add a little note to the photo.

I pinned it to my "hair" board.  You can create as many boards as you'd like, such as wedding (Molly!), photography ideas, travel destinations, home decor, crafts, books to read, etc.

My only problem is that I've spent more time writing this blog than I have spent pinning photos to my Pinterest boards.  I'm a bit intimidated by the whole process.  I currently have 1 pin- Lauren Conrad's hair color.  I've got some work to do!

So, there you have it!

Brilliant!

Thoughts?  Do you use Pinterest?

POST EDIT:
To open a Pinterest account, go to pinterest.com and click the button that says "request an invitation."

Like any posh club, you must be invited (said with nose in the air).  All you've got to do is submit your email address and the invite will be emailed to you.  Once you receive that email, follow the link to get started.  Voila!  (Wow, that is two French words in one post!  I am so fancy today!). 

Happy pinning!

Wednesday Ramblings

Allergies suck.  Actually, they don't suck- they scratch and itch and irritate and congest.  Ugh.  My eyes have been especially scratchy, and I rub and rub and rub until I just can't manage to keep my eyes open any longer, and then I go all Stevie Wonder and my kids think I'm weird.  I'm not weird.  I'm just a mom with allergies trying to get through the day!
This morning I woke up with a wonky eye.  I took a picture with my web cam for you.  See?

You're welcome.
I think it is infected.
On our lunch date in Bend last week, Andrea gave me a couple of allergy pills to try.  They seemed to help, so I need to buy some, but I can't today because I am stuck at home without a car, which brings me to my next topic...
It has been a full month since we became a one-vehicle family.  So far, sharing a car with Devon isn't so bad. 

Planning the activities of the day/week takes more thought and effort with only one car.  If I need the car, then I have to plan to be ready to drive Devon to work in the morning.  Joe usually sleeps in late and isn't even out of bed yet when Max, Lucy and I return from the hour long round-trip.  On the weekdays, Devon works until 9pm, and on weekends he works until 7 or 8pm, so we pick him up at night, and usually the kids are already in pajamas and are excited to be heading out to pick up dad instead of the usual routine of going to bed.  Another hour long round-trip later, the whole family is home together again.

On the days that Devon takes the car, the kids and I walk to a park or walk to Katie's house (which is an uphill climb, so I get some added exercise), and one day this week we even walked to drop off Devon's clothes at the dry cleaners and then to the optometrist to pick up Joe's contacts lenses and then to Ben & Jerry's for a treat.  Without a car, our days feel pretty simple.  Our options are limited, so we make the most of what we've got.  I've been baking a little, and it seems that every single toy is played with and then strewn across the house.  Of course, the house becomes a complete disaster, so I am constantly picking up after the kids, and I eventually get grumpy and try to enforce a "sit and be quiet and do nothing" time, and when that backfires (which it always does), I just start yelling at everybody and then I realize that all of my windows are open and that my neighbors can hear me and they probably think I'm mean and crazy, though I'm not, it is just that I sound mean and crazy because I am stuck at home with 3 kids during the longest days of the year and my house is a wreck!!!

Whoa.  I've gone off-track.

So, in the past 6 days, I've only had the car for one day.  On that day, I hand washed our precious minivan, scrubbing off the dead bugs who lost their lives somewhere between California and Washington, and I vacuumed out the snacks that Max spilled, and when Grandma Donna came over to visit, I took the opportunity to get out of our house alone and get the grocery shopping done.  I feel like I am spending less money on a daily basis while I am stuck at home, and I feel like my to-do list is organized pretty well because my errands have get done while I have the car rather than putting them off for another day.

And there you have it.  In another month I may have a different opinion about sharing a car, but for now it is working out just fine.

What did you all do for the 4th of July?

We spent Independence Day at Aunt Merry's house.  Merry hosts a big party every year with swimming and badminton and lots of food and fireworks.  Her birthday is July 5th, so there is usually a bit of birthday celebration mixed in too.  The kids and I had a blast, and we were thrilled to have a big blue sky above us.  Devon had to work during the day, and when he arrived in the evening, I was more than happy to pass off the duty of chasing kids!  Max was so busy as usual.  He tried to sneak off a few times, but I caught him just before he fell into the pool or grabbed the horses' electric fence or climbed onto a motorcycle.  Geesh.

Here are a few pics of my favorite faces.

The most awesome part of the day was when Merry's friends Jim and Shannon got engaged.  Jim dressed as Prince Charming and rode Tank up the driveway to surprise Shannon.  It was so sweet!

That is all I've got for today!  Now, I must go tend to my eye. :)

Life is a Highway

It is funny to me that I can get into a car and drive for nearly 14 hours and end up on my parents' doorstep.  Not funny "ha ha" but more like funny "huh, is that all I've gotta do to visit home?"

Our 14 hour drive went by quickly and the kids were troopers- not too many potty breaks, not too many "are we there yet"s, plenty of snacks and movies...  though not many naps even though we left the house at 3 a.m.  The vacation adrenaline kept their spirits up as well as their eyelids.  I kid you not, we transferred Max from his bed to his car seat and he immediately requested a snack.  No child! Go to sleep!  And as we pulled out of our driveway in the still of the night, his little arms went up as though he was on a roller coaster and he let out a little "Weeeee!"

The long drive gave Devon and I plenty of time to talk about feelings.  Just kidding.  That is a little joke that we share- I like to catch him off guard and ask, "Wanna talk about feelings?"  He always answers yes, but I'm pretty sure that feelings are close to the very bottom of the list of topics that a man desires to discuss.  Anyway, after that little game, Devon shared with me that he's noticed in the past that whenever I am home at my parents' house, I automatically re-assume my childhood role as the big sister who tattles and bosses and meddles and distributes unsolicited advice.  Oh really?  Is that so?  He may have carefully worded this "observation" of his a bit differently, but what I heard is exactly what I just typed, and rather than give him some unsolicited advice to shut his yapper, I decided that he might be right about this and that maybe I should try to be the adult/wife/mother version of myself during this visit rather than the adolescent daughter/know-it-all sister version that I've mastered over the years.

All of that being said, we all had a really nice vacation in the warm California sun, and here are a few of the moments that I managed to catch on camera. (My photography efforts weren't top notch- I apologize.  And I'm not even going to take the time to edit them at all!  Friday Night Lights is waiting on the DVR, people!  I've got priorities!).

Max & Lucy ride the Coco Train!

Chillaxin' with Coco- life is good! :)

I got to drive Seth's adorable car to my hair appointment.  I enjoyed every moment of it, and I swear that "Life is a Highway" played on the radio while I was cruisin' with the windows down.  I felt like Lighting McQueen :)

The BEFORE shot.  My sister reminded me, "Roots are for trees."

The AFTER shot.  Much better!  And, yes, this is what a 12 year age difference looks like! :)  If you live close enough to book an appointment with Molly, you should totally do it.  She is "sawesome", as Max says.

My summer kiddos.

"Oh mommy!  I love vacation!"

Brother-in-law bonding.  Devon and Aaron worked in a P90X workout in the garage.  It was only like 99 degrees outside.  Crazy boys.

A nap in the living room and a good book.  This is what a vacation Sunday looks like.

Cousins!!  Ellee & Lucy were so happy to be reunited!

More cousins!!  Brady & Max are still getting to know each other, but we are confident that they will one day be so happy to be reunited!  Check out Max's new "Buzz Lightyear" haircut!  Get it?  Buzz cut??

Sethy & me.

My nana and my Lulu.

This is Plan B.  We went to Six Flags theme park in Vallejo only to be turned away by the rain.  So, Plan B was lunch at the Jelly Belly factory. 

The pizza and burgers are in the shape of a jelly bean- so clever! :)

Who needs Six Flags?  A $.25 ride made Maxy very happy!

We saw two movies- Mr. Popper's Penguins and can you guess the other one?  Cars 2 of course!

My boys, lookin' cute.

My mama, fixing a big family meal to celebrate Aaron & Molly's engagement.

My honey.

Pretty ladies Avery and Jill.

The kids' table!  The only pic of all 6 grandkids together.

Joe shots some hoops...

and Max studied the basket, thinking that he can make a shot.

Adam, Brady, Dev, and Max

On our drive home, we detoured to Bend, OR to have lunch with this adorable family!!  It happened to be Andrea's birthday, and I was so happy to get to see her, even for just a couple of short hours!  Happy Birthday Andrea!

Well, that's a wrap!

We returned home refreshed and happy that we were able to spend time with our family and friends.  I even got to meet a couple of new little friends, Henry & Lorann, and I would have happily brought home both babies with me!