Beauitful Distraction to the Eighth Power

Silly Steph tagged me.

I am graciously accepting an opportunity to 'check out' for the next 5 mintues or so. Thanks, Stephy! xo

8 Things that I am Looking forward to:

1. Spending more time with my kids this summer.
2. 4th of July, when my sugar boycott officially ends.
3. Carly's birthday cake.
4. Our neighborhood summer potlucks in the park.
5. The light at the end of the tunnel. Ha.
6. Fresh fruit and veggies from the garden.
7. Friday. Always.

8. Girl time. Always.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Only 8?
2. Blogged my lil heart out.
3. Emptied and ran the dishwasher multiple times.
4. Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.
5. Watered the garden with Dawsie and named the gnome 'Paprika.'
6. Read a couple more chapters of The Shack in bed before I conked out.
7. Step class. Heaven.
8. Went to the bank. Had to go home before making my deposit. Because my kids were being 'those kids,' and I threatened to leave if they misbehaved. They called my bluff. Nice.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. Go on a real vacation. One with the kids, one without.
2. Go to school.
3. Be a 'soccer mom' and take the kids to all their activities.
4. Sleep in. Just once.
5. Invent a sugar, fat, and white flour diet that worked.
6. Go grab a beer with Chels.
7. Go to the gym or run 7 days a week.

8. Be a backup dancer/singer for Fergie or Britney Spears. I could TOTALLY see it.

8 Shows I Watch:

1. The Office
2. Scrubs
3. Idol (Its the first season we've watched. Cheap entertainment.)
4. Desperate Housewives
5. Castle
6. Family Guy (try not to judge too harshly)
7. Grey's Anatomy
8. Reruns of Friends. Always.

8 People I’m Tagging:

Im breaking the rule of 8 here and saying... all you freeloading Apple Valley blog lurkers who check the page regularly and never leave any love behind! Set up a blog. Here is your first official post. (MOM! Hahahah).

xo

Har Har Har *revised

The kids have been cracking me up lately. Both my sanity and my humor. Its hard when they start to get smarter than you, and harder to fool!

But the upside is the funny things they say and do together and separately.

Here are a few examples from recently that I should share before they poof right into thin air with the rest of my logic and reasoning.

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Me: "Dawson, is Daddy still in the shower, or did he get out already?"

Dawson: "No, he's out of the shower. Well, he's still in the shower with the water off, he's just shaving the shower doors now."

(that would be squeegee-ing)

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Anabelle is mostly potty trained... unless there is something way more interesting than the inconvenience of doing her business in the right place. I've started coming down on her lately. So her solution is... pee in the chones... then take them off and HIDE them from me. This is not such bad logic... until you get home from the McDonald's play yard and there are no underwear under your kid's dress. She informed me she left them inside the blue ball part of the play yard... because "I just peed in them a little. Its alright, mom. It was an accident."

So now, I am officially the source of some Mom's horror story of "the atrocious things they find in those disease infested play yards at fast food restaurants."

Sweet.

Then, yesterday...

Me: "ANABELLE! Where are your panties!?!? Did you potty in them?"

Anabelle: "No, Mommy. Dawson just peed in them, so I changed them."

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*Forgot this one:

Tyson got me a bucket full of gardening goods for my birthday complete with every tool known to modern day gardeners, a hat, a kneeling mat, a spray nozzle, etc.

The other day I was gardening and asked Tyson if he had seen a seed packet of cilantro that strangely went missing (I never did find it, and coincidentally Ty happens to despise cilantro... but that is another blog). When I called out to him he yelled back at me "I dunno. Check in the bucket of wonders, that's where I saw them last with the other seeds..."

A day or so later, I had all the daycare kids out on a wildflower walk, and we were naming all the flowers and Dawson came upon one I didn't know the name to. When this happens... we make up a name that we think it should be called. I suggested 'dragon's snare' for this particular variety, and it seemed to jog Dawson's memory...

He looks up at me like the light bulb of inspiration went off in his little brain, and he goes "OH, MOM! Did you get your snap dragon breath out of the bucket of wonders?..."

He was of course referring to 'snap dragons' that we have planted in the yard... but added the 'breath', and as always managed to pick up on our lovely terminology for something as simple as a bucket of gardening tools.

Awe, Dawsie.

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The other day I took the kids on a walk to the dollar store up the street and on the way back we came upon a half eaten and then run over banana rotting in the middle of the road. The kids all gazed at it in curiosity, when suddenly Dawson throws himself in front of it with his arms spread wide in defense as he screams at Anabelle...

"ANABELLE!! DON'T EAT THIS BANANNA! ITS YUCKY, it will GIVE YOU A TUMMY ACHE! I know you want to eat it, but YOU CAN'T DO IT! We will get you a clean one when you get home!!!!!!"

She looks at him like he is half out of his mind (he kind of was, I probably had the same look on my face!), and shrugs coolly. "I know, Daws. I'll just get one at home."


Nice to know they look out for each other, I suppose.

Expensive Taste

I always wanted a princess. I named her a princess name, painted her room purple and pink, and braided her hair when there were still more bald patches than lovely golden locks to work with.

I guess all I can say is be careful what you wish for... because my daughter is officially all girl.

I'd love to say I have time to stand in front of the mirror and primp each morning, but in reality I'm pretty quick in and out of the shower. Anabelle tends to wander in right about the time I'm about to blow dry, and she likes to 'visit' with me while I put my makeup on (which is usually about a 3.5 minute process involving face lotion, and a quick swipe of whatever my hand touches first in the makeup drawer).

In an attempt to capitalize on the 'moment' we often share together, and keep her out of the 'good' stuff (MY stuff!), I picked up a few play makeup items to keep in a little basket in my drawer for her to beautify with while we visit. So far, its worked like a charm.

Until, that is, I had a rare opportunity to 'splurge' and get myself a nice Urban Decay eyeshadow palate since Steph offered to go halvesies with me for my birthday. Its been a rare treat, and I use it sparingly and gently so I can savor it as long as time allows.

And by time, I mean Anabelle.

She's been eyeing all the vibrant colors for weeks. She watches me lustfully as I carefully and sparingly apply, and I've let her have a little dab here and there but always under close supervision. Until recently, she's been pretty good about asking. But suddenly... she has lost all self control when it comes to beauty treatments. Its hard to discipline her too harshly when I completely relate to the struggle.

I thought it odd when she didn't answer the breakfast call this morning with the gusto of a malnourished orphan as usual. I wandered down the hall to look for her, and she met me half way looking a little guilty. I briefly noted her behavior, but swept her up and placed her at the table with her oatmeal bowl half distracted by noisy kids and phone calls and the weather man talking about the Central Coast in Springtime.

Then, I saw it. Ever so faintly, but definitely visible... SOMEONES been playing beauty shop. With the good stuff (but of course!).


And it didn't take me long to crack the rest of the case, when I found my once clean and immaculate palate of wonders now not-so-gently used and disgracefully discarded behind THE TOILET on the BATHROOM FLOOR to hide the evidence. I couldn't think of a more sanitary place to hide something that belongs on your face!



I suppose its a right of passage for every toddler girl, and every mother alike. I vaguely recall a time long ago that I too explored my mother's makeup basket. The pictures of me are much more... beautiful... than this of Anabelle Lee, so I guess I should be grateful in a way.

As I take my 'deep cleansing breaths of self control,' I suppose it all goes to show that when you are a mother, you relinquish all rights to selfishness, materialism, and expensive taste for the greater good of affording your most cherished treasures the priceless commodity of a quality childhood experience.

And I am reminded yet again that as a Mother, it is my duty to make known to my daughter that beauty doesn't come in a bright purple Urban Decay compact (tho LORD KNOWS it sure is a close interpretation).



But a true princess doesn't need a mirror to know she is beautiful. Just a little patience and understanding. Even in the face of watching one of your favorite things fall behind the toilet.

Baby Biron

So my longtime friend and co-worker from back in the good old days (when I had a brain to use and a mind to loose) is having her first baby boy!

The shower was this weekend in Bakersfield at her beautiful new home, and our other State Farm pal Terese journeyed all the way from Santa Rosa to be there to celebrate this exciting occasion.

The food smorgasbord alone was reason enough to show up (man can her mom/sister plan a party!), but way above and beyond that it was just great to have a little girl time catching up with my old friends, and vicariously re-live all the feelings of joy, fear and excitement when you are preparing to welcome a new baby.




(I was sooo good, I wanted so badly to dive in and swim freely in this gorgeous sea of trans fat and calories behind me... but I refrained. Too bad I can't say the same about the three heaping plates of sandwich/ salad/ snacky goodness I supplemented my sacrifice with...)

Our other good friend Lynn couldn't make it this time to complete the circle, but she was there in spirit, and also by means of co-gifting all the necessities of welcoming a new bundle(car chimes! car chimes!)...



Whoops-a-daisy! How'd old Jack get in there? I suppose it represents one of the key elements of motherhood: keeping a sense of humor. Or something like that.




Needless to say, she got a heap of great gifts, and looks great although I know at this point in the game every expectant mother is ready to re-claim her old body...



But it sure is fun for the rest of us to stare at the lovely baby lump in the mean time, and wonder about baby Nathan's little face and the rest of his life to come.

Congratulations again, Mike and Krista! and thanks Terese for a wonderful weekend and Lynn for making the effort to be part of the events even tho you couldn't be there. I sure miss our sunny Santa Barbara days together, but to know we are all in good places and doing well in our lives is beyond full circle to me.

Love you girls!
xo

Heat Wave

Summer suddenly struck the central coast this weekend... and it was magical.

We spent all weekend outside gardening our little hearts out while the kids played in the water (with a brief intermission for a stellar BBQ with our awesome pals Steph and Jerad on Saturday nite).





I found myself with butterflies in my stomach thinking of all the long warm summer nights ahead, watching the kids ride bikes in the street with the neighbor kids they love so much. They are no longer babies, nor toddlers, and Dawson is really not even a preschooler any more. They are officially savoring their childhood, and it is sheer bliss to watch them soaking in each and every moment.


Some days the tantrums and sleep deprivation and sheer exhaustion seem endless and the job itself is (and may always be) completely thankless at times. But these moments are the reward that make my life full of all things warm and... well, summertime.

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In other news, the garden is about 70% planted. I did a lot of seeds this year, we'll see how it turns out. I'll post before pictures with progress updates along the way if the seeds actually sprout (I still can't get past how I'm super surprised to see that they actually do their job *almost* every time!).

I wish there was a way to track which grows more quickly during these next three short months, the garden or my lovelies.

Although Im afraid I already know the answer.

Mom Bling

Dawson spent a Saturday with his Grammie about a week ago.

It just kind of happened in the spur of the moment. We were up that way, stopped to say hi, he didn't want to leave when it was time to go... and ended up staying the whole day while Tyson and I played 'only child' with Anabelle. I think it was great family therapy for all of us. Particularly Dawson, who got the luxury of being the center of his beloved Grammie's universe for a whole glorious day.

He called me twice to tell me he had a special surprise for me when he got home. I begged for him to tell me... give me a hint... just a tiny one... but he stood firm. Impressive!

The moment he walked thru the front door he proudly handed me and old perfume box covered in Christmas bows with "mom" scribbled carefully on it in cuttle little toddler boy handwriting. Inside was a piece of old twine adorned with every dead grandmother in town's prized crown jewels. His Grammy had been saving up her thrift store "finds" for the proper occasion I suppose.

He could not have been more proud of himself. I will never forget that smug little look on his face as I beamed at him with appreciation for my gift. He felt SO good about giving. It almost broke my heart that my kids are learning how good it feels to give to others because the people they have in their lives give so freely to them. It was priceless.



So priceless, in fact... that I didn't mind wearing my new bling to church the next day even tho it didn't really match my outfit.

A small price indeed for the glory of motherhood.

xo

My Brother, the RoCkStAr!!

So my little brother KJ is officially cooler than me. I've seen it coming for awhile now... it was bound to happen sooner or later.

KJ was recently given an opportunity to be the back up drummer for a RAD band that an old friend happens to be the mastermind behind... they re called LAKES (check them out, you won't be sorry!), and they rule.

The first show KJ played EVER (to the best of my knowledge...) was the Roxy on Sunset in Hollywood, Ca. That's right, I'm bragging now. But seriously... WHO DOES THAT!?!? Hes played a handful of shows with them now, filling in whenever he is needed. Most of the venues are in southern Ca or the valley, and they re harder to get to (not that its not worth a drive), but recently they played SLO Brew, so of course we were there to see him rock the world.

And he (they) did.

Here's some pix of the show, and a few adoring fans:

Remember the little people, KJ. Or I will tell Mom on you!

XO

You Snooze, You Loose!

Dawson has been obsessed with this one episode of Caillou where the little boy wakes up scared in the night, and his mommy and daddy let him get up and have a cocoa party to calm his fears in the middle of the night before going back to bed.

"Mom, maybe we could do that sometimes?..."

I have a vague recollection of being about Dawson's age when my parents let me wake up one night for a midnight snack of smiley face cookies.

We've been meaning to make this happen for the kids for a couple weeks now. I bought some E.L. Fudge cookies (a splurge to be sure!) at the grocery store and hid them away a couple weeks ago, and last night we finally weren't so exhausted at the end of the day that we summoned the energy to make the fantasy happen for our little dahlings...

Here's how it went:

1. Set the stage,



2. Obtain members of guest list,



3. Wake them,



4. Um... hello in there? You are at a PARTY! With CANDY! And COOKIES! And COCOA! At MIDNIGHT!!!!!!...


5. Try to process the disappointment of realizing... the beauties will not be woken. Not even for candy and cocoa.


Not even a little bit conscience. Anabelle sat up with a vacant look in her eyes for a brief second... resembling the one might have whilst sleepwalking off a cliff.

This morning, they had no recollection that any of this took place.

But I have the blog to prove that it did.

xo