5.30.2008

Truly Hideous




The photos do not depict the true hideousness that was my old driveway. You really had to see it in person.

Ahhh. This is no longer a thorn in my side.

5.28.2008

The big AND the little things

The Little:

Ok, so my husband calls me "Boo". He took the Boy to the sitter this morning. On his way out, he kissed me and said "I love you Boo".

All the way down the front porch steps, the Boy kept looking back at me saying "I love you Boo!"

My heart = melting.

The Big:





5.26.2008

Looks can be deceiving

Looks cute, eh? Looks like he is blowing me a kiss perhaps?

WRONG. He is actually spitting on his hand and wiping it on me.

I told him to stop. He said "No mommy!" I told him to stop again. He said "No mommy. I'm funny!" We went through this a dozen or so times (it seemed like a hundred). He was laughing hysterically. I was fuming.

He didn't think it was very funny when he spent 2 minutes in a timeout. Looks can be very deceiving. He looks so sweet...and is typically pretty sweet. I don't know where this crap comes from. I don't spit on my hand and wipe it on him. And I'm pretty sure baby daddy doesn't either. Ack. Do little girls do this crap? Maybe they do and that's where he picked up this nasty little trick. Sounds good...I'm going to blame the GIRLS at the sitter for teaching him this.

Anyway, so, yeah, Memorial Day weekend. Spent most of the *long* weekend alone, as usual. Baby Daddy had to work, as usual. My parents came over for a couple hours on Sunday. I was going to sneak away and go to the grocery store or something. But, they bought him a wheel barrow. So, I got sucked into putting that together. It was near impossible to put together without 4 hands, so it took much longer than it should have and I totally lost my window to sneak away.

We went to visit Baby Daddy's family on their camp ground today. It was actually fun (yes, you read that right...I actually had a good time...on a camp ground!), and the Boy had a great time! He adores his cousin, and she is very good with him. She's 11, so I'm looking forward to her babysitting in a couple years. YAY!

It was a little hot for me today though. I'm not ready for or looking forward to summer. Ack.

In closing....my child is actually very funny (when he isn't being gross). Saturday morning he pointed to his butt and said "I do it in the butt". I said "You do what in the butt?" He said "Pooping mommy. I'm pooping in the butt!" (Girls in the 'hood - don't get any ideas)

5.19.2008

2 years

2 years ago today...that's the day I fell in love with a little guy weighing in at 8 lb 1 1/2 lbs. We were both so nervous and excited to meet him. When he arrived, we were both filled with an overwhelming feeling of love and joy that's difficult to explain. You just never know your heart can be so full of love...as the love you feel for your child.

Baby Daddy had to work tonight, so the Boy and I had dinner together and then after we played for a while I asked if he wanted a birthday cupcake. Yeas. (the way he says it...there is an "a" in it)

So, he ate a Scooby Doo Cupcake while I sang Happy Birthday over and over.

He's sound asleep in his bed right now. He's such a good boy. We really lucked out with this one. I do hope that the rest of his years don't go by this quickly.

5.18.2008

can you say spoiled with a vroomvroomvroom



It's a replica of a 1948 Indian chopper.

The yellow button....yeah, it actually goes. 2.5 mph! In forward and reverse. And it has real engine sounds. Grandma & Grandpa really hit the nail on the head with this one. Mommy's jealous now. Her Boy has a chopper before she does. Waaa!

Other party favorites include a very cool wood tool bench with hammers, screwdrivers, nails, screws, etc. A CAT brand backhoe/digger. Motorized. Very cool. And lots of other miscellany.

A perfect party for a perfect 2 yr old Boy. *sigh* I can't believe he's 2!

5.16.2008

Hang Loose

I was talking to a neighbor tonight who has a very adorable little boy (6 months old). We were talking about the neighborhood, the economy, daycare/sitters, etc.

In closing, I congratulated them on their darling little boy. And the father said to me "We appreciate the good vibes man, hang loose".

How fun is that?

My mop top


Ok. Is it possible that he is thee cutest child on the planet?
Am I wrong for being completely and totally in love with him?
Even with a mop top...he's the cutest kid I've ever seen.
Is it just me? Am I prejudice?

5.15.2008

Buck up

Well. They did it. They lifted the ban on gay marriage in California! Fantastic!

Why was it ever banned to begin with? What is wrong with people? I guess I'm just to liberal. I guess I just think every loving couple - no matter what your sex - should be entitled to prove their commitment to one another with a legal piece of paper if they desire. Why is that wrong?

Come on other states...buck up.

5.13.2008

What could be more fun that pouring a bucket of sand over your head?




What could be more fun than blowing dandelion wishies?

5.09.2008

Thank you, Mr Bush, for forcing me to add "frugal" to my vocabulary. pfft.

As I was pumping gas into my husband's truck, at $3.75 9/10 per gallon, I thought to myself...WTF is going on here? I remember complaining about gas being too expensive when it was $2.65. Yet, there I stood...with no other choice. The tank was on E (thanks honey). And I had to take the Boy to the sitter and get to work yet. I had to stop and get gas.

I arrived at work, miraculously on time, and checked my bank account as I always do first thing in the morning. Our economic stimulous check had arrived. Yippee. But, actually, it dawned on me...they can keep that money if they lower the gas prices back down to $2.65.

I try to buy some organic foods for my family: organic milk, organic meats and organic eggs. We eat a lot of crap and a lot of processed foods, but we also eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I don't bother with organic fruits and veggies though. Since I've added the organic foods to our grocery list, I have made cutbacks elsewhere. I try to buy off brand or sale items, and I've stopped buying WW Smart Ones for Michelena's Lean Gourmet frozen meals for lunches. The Lean Gourmet's are only a buck each. So, that helps.

After paying our last Columbia Gas bill ($498!), I decided we needed to start cutting back on some of our expenditures. So, I emailed our cleaning lady and told her we needed to cut back to 1 time per month. Guess what? She doesn't do monthly cleaning schedules. Only weekly or biweekly. WTF am I going to do? I'm not going to spend my weekends cleaning like I used to do. I can't do it. And I'm not just going to let it slide like I also used to do when I didn't feel like spending my entire weekend cleaning. I think I might have to keep her on the biweekly schedule. What else can I cut back on?

I really, honestly, have cut back on my spending. Before Boy I bought a new pair of shoes and/or a handbag (and not from Target either people...pricey) every month. I don't do that anymore. Sure, I did just buy 2 pair of expensive flats...but I *needed* them. And I didn't get that Coach bag that was consuming my thoughts. I'm selling stuff on Ebay...some of those shoes and handbags. Yepper.

I can't cut our cell phone bills. I don't know how I would live without texting. I guess I could cancel our home phone. I can start with long distance, since we never use it and the bill is more of a nuisance than anything. I could cancel our life insurance policies. Or, maybe that's not such a good idea. I do need to shop around for cheaper insurance for my car...I think we're getting boned.

It's not that we're going broke here or anything. I just feel like we are needlessly throwing money out the door. I don't want to be frugal. Hell, I'm not even sure I know how to be. And I certainly don't like the idea of being forced to add "frugal" to my vocabulary. I'm feeling very confused.

In closing...we received our info package from our local Montessori school. Can you say $10k per school year? I'm going to go list everything I own on Ebay. *sigh*

5.07.2008

Pennsylvania - Tell me where to go

I am trying to find a place to stay the night on the road since we are driving to NYC in July. Yes, I realize our trip is 2 months away. I’m a freak, ok. Sue me.

As much as loathe Pennsylvania (long story, speeding ticket 10 years ago), we will have to pick a place in that state to stay. I would like to make the most of it and find somewhere with activities for the Boy. It’s just 1 overnight, so we just need something to do in the evening or the following morning. We check in our place in NYC after 1pm.

I suppose even just a national park would be nice. Swingsets, jungle gym type stuff and someplace to run, run, run! There are some really cool looking places in Pennsylvania though, but I’m not sure if we should “go out of our way”. Like the Crayola Factory, the Choo Choo Barn (or one of the many other train related museums/activities) The Indian Echo Caverns, or Sesame Place. There are hands on kids museums too. We typically take 80 all the way into NYC, but one time took the 76 split near Cleveland and ended up going through Philly. It was a nice drive, a little less boring, with tunnels and cool stuff on our route, but the tolls were outrageous and it did add an extra 2 hours on to our drive. Do we really want to spend 2 more hours in the car with the Boy who will likely be over our trip after an hour or two?

Ack! What to do?

5.06.2008

crazyticalishious

I think most boys like Thomas the Train. The Boy likes Thomas the Train. I got him a pair of Thomas the Train pajamas for Valentine’s Day (as soon as he saw them he said he had to have them...what was I supposed to do?) This morning while I was changing his diaper, he was pulling his Thomas the Train pajama top over his penis, and said to me “Thomas the Train on my penis”. And then he said “Thomas the Train on my butt”. He made me crack up. He thought that was hilarious. The kid is crazy.

He likes to chase our cats, and it’s no surprise that they run and hide from him. I asked him why the kitties run from him. “Cause I’m a crazy lunatic”. (Because that’s what I call him) Then he decided he wasn’t happy with that label, so he made a new word this morning…a “crazytic”.

My Boy...the Crazytic!

5.03.2008

visits. pots. concrete.

So, this morning our good good friend and her 4 children came to visit us. (Her husband had to stay home [in Delaware] and work). It was so great to see her and the kids. It has been almost a hear since we've seen them. It was great to watch the Boy play with them and watch him copy her boy. Her boy would put his hands on his head, the Boy would put his hands on his head, he would put his hands on his belly, the Boy would put his hands on his belly...you see the trend here. It was very cute. All 5(!) of them had a great time playing upstairs in the Boy's playroom! Sooo glad we finally got that room set up! It was a wonderful visit and I do hope our next visit does not take another year.

I was able to get away for a while while the Boy was napping. I went to the nursery to get some plants for my pots. There were some very nice combinations highlighted in the latest BH&G Magazine and I really wanted to create these combinations in my pots. The nursery I went to only had 1 of the items listed...and there were 12 plants on my list! The one plant they had = vinca vine. Hello...everyone carries vinca. Argh. I improvised, and my pots do look nice, but the ones in the mag are stunning. I want stunning!

I need to make it a priority to go to the greenhouse up in Michigan. I always go to the same nursery. I've gone there for the past 6 years and it seems I'm always a bit disappointed over one thing or another. I think this might be my last trip there. Sorry BD...but I'm over you.

And I have fantastic news to share...we're getting a new driveway! This is very exciting to me. You see, we live in a house that was built in 1910...and I think the driveway was put in shortly thereafter and never thought about again. We have the 2 ribbon strips with the patch of grass in the middle. Only, it's not really grass. Mostly weeds, or rocks, or some other random crap and it's irritated me since the day we moved in. They're busted up, they're lopsided, and also not wide enough. We talk about it every year. We've had the money saved, and then we've spent the money saved on something else. Over and over again. Well, it's going to happen this month, and be finished by festival. I am very excited.

5.01.2008

Doin the twist



The long awaited Lavender Twist Redbud is in bloom.
You like?
Me like so much I decided to add it to my header.
You like?
Me like.