Bite Me

Today I ate an obscene amount of garlic in preparation for tonight. What's tonight you wonder?
Well, I am going to attempt to delve into the world of vampires that has all the mommies sqwaking and the blogs talking. It's this phenomenon called Twilght. I bet you have probably heard about it. I'm a little slow on the uptake. I have been somewhat reluctant to give in. My inner rebel wants me to go against the fang (I mean grain- HA! Freudian slip). I'm not quite sure I have the ability or desire to "fall in love with a vampire". But I was told to look past the nocturnal neck-biting creature and to enjoy the romance in itself. I guess the feeling of love is pretty universal... why not take a chance and sink my teeth into it? (Sorry the puns are just too easy!) Don't worry, I will use a wooden stake as my bookmark.

It's getting late. Time to walk on the darkside. I will now go and attempt to read this with an open mind & closed mouth (garlic breath).

Table for 2

Well people, I had myself a date Saturday night! Yes siree! I had been fantasizing about it quite a bit lately. Eventhough my husband doesn't read my blog, he finally got the message... "Happy Wife= Happy Life." Translation, R took me out on the town.

It was quite romantical (G-bean lingo). We actually had things to talk about (don't laugh). When you dust off your dating duds and decide that it's okay to sit at a table for 2, I start to get nervous. Will we have anything to talk about after work & kids or will we be that couple eating in awkward silence? Will I remember how to behave in an adult setting? One time I actually asked R if he needed to go potty before we left the house (Yikes!). Never fear, we had a million things to talk about. Things that don't normally get addressed while wrangling midgets and slinging slop. It was refreshing to remember that I have an opinion about the world, politics, Hillary Clinton's pant suits, religion, travel, etc. I don't think that Thai food is a truth serum, but it sure did the trick. R might have even made googley eyes (also G-bean lingo) at me.

Next it was off to a movie. Not only did it turn out to be an entertaining flick, but we also had great seats & tasty treats. Yep, my man showered me with peanut M&M's. It was a true test to my "mommy attention span" aka ADD to sit still for 2 hours and focus. But I was captivated and not just by my candy. To top it off, we did not recieve one frantic call from the babysitter with baby in background practicing higher octaves. SUCCESS!

It doesn't take much to dazzle me these days. Just an evening away from kids and time with R to make me feel like a LADY and not someone's mother.

My Girls

TADA! G-bean has broken the world record for wardrobe changes. She now changes her clothes a minimum of 5 times a day. We were hoping to temper that by threatening to make her do her own laundry. Her response was pure panic, horror and then she needed to go change again while she "thought about it". She is obsessed with hair. She wants long hair, because princesses have long hair (along with most of her friends). All of her stick figures have quite the manes. The other day mid-meltdown and out of the blue, she blurted out "I want to marry K. You told me I had to marry a boy- it's K and I love him." AHHHHH! Newsflash, aren't you a little too young to be thinking about this? She is giving us a glimpse of what she will be like as a teenager... borderline SCARY. She actually told R not to "freak out". Another favorite "It's just my problem Dad, I do what I want to do". Other than that, princess underpants reign supreme along with playing with friends, the color pink, band aids, Backyardigans, pigtails, climbing & jumping off of furniture, carrying E (big No-No), and macaroni and cheese. I love that she dons a Sleeping Beauty dress by day and sleeps with a Spiderman light by night. One of my favorite things about G-bean is her passion for fashion and life. She is who she is. She plays hard, loves hard, sleeps hard and starts all over again the next day.

E is officially walking and will soon be breaking landspeed records. Her little walk reminds me of Curious George minus the agile tree climbing skills. She has discovered babies and purses (not by my design). It's purely a function of having an older sister. She loves phones. She walks around with a phone to her ear saying "HI" (she doesn't get that from me either). She has been kind enough to greet me the past few mornings with a beaming smile and an explosive diaper. It definitely curbs my enthusiam for morning snuggles while totally grossing out R & G-bean, but how can I resist the little imp. She has become very busy. She pushes furniture around the house, unloads cupboards, and attempts to get her hands on everything & anything she shouldn't. She has a pretty good success rate due to her persistance and determination. She is also querky. She smiles as if she has an inside joke or hisses while giving you the stink eye. I'm convinced that I have seen E roll her eyes when G-bean is having a diva moment. Recently, she has learned to give kisses and gives them freely without discrimination (just ask Jack). It should make me nervous, but I love to hear my girls giggling wildly from another room. In the picture, they are loading up the jogger because G-bean has offered to take E on a trip around the world. E's job is to check the tires (with her teeth). My favorite thing about E would be her adventurous spirit and hands-on approach to life. No task is too small or too gross for the little one.

Well, that is our growing brood...each with their own attitude.

Tag You Are It

Thanks Kristen.

The rules:

1) Link to the person that tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog.

3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.

4) Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.

5) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6) Let the fun begin!

Okay, so I have evaded this game of blog tag for quite some time. It takes me back to grade school...getting clothes-lined in red rover, getting whacked in the head by a dodgeball (red hair = bullseye), and never being fast enough at freezetag in my jelly shoes. Believe me, you did not aspire to be the "IT" girl. So these are all of my issues with the game, which I will one day work through with a great therapist. But I shouldn't let them get in the way of a little blogging fun.

So here we are, tag 'I'm it'. Only now you want me to spill all my secrets. Reveal all that makes me mysterious. Invite you to look through my living room blinds. Fortunately, you are not asking for anything that indepth. So, I will acquiesce and share six tantalizing tid bits & querks about yours truly.

1. I prefer to eat yogurt with a plastic spoon. While we are on the subject of food, chocolate is my kryptonite.

2. I have self diagnosed seismic sensitivity. I wake up every night convinced we are having an earthquake and curse myself for not being better prepared for a natural disaster.

3. As a result of viewing one too many Lifetime movies (all in the past I assure you), I have security issues. I check under my car and in the backseat. I practice my judo chops and roundhouses religiously. I often wonder "What would Chuck Norris do?" And I lock the door when I go out to get the mail.

4. I am convinced the writer's strike was conspired by some political mastermind. Thus, forcing me to pay more attention the Presidential race and devote less time to my trashy tv shows.

5. I love to people watch. I always wonder where are they from? Where are they going? Was their closet light on when they got dressed? Do they really put on their pants on one leg at a time? I tend to cook up rather extravagent and far fetched bio's for my subjects. For example, crazy cat ladies, karaoke loving accountants, grandma's that love to gamble online. You get the idea. Airports are a perfect setting for this pastime.

6. I like to watch my family sleep, but not in a creepy way. My children look so angelic that I can almost forget the day's events. I give them a million kisses in their sleep. Also, my husband is such a handsome devil, drool and all. I love the sound of his breathing next to me. I sleep horribly when he is out of town.

Now that we've introduced you to some of the skeletons in our closet, I guess we don't need to invite you over for Sunday dinner.

Should they choose to indulge in our voyeurism, I will tag these fabulous fellow bloggers. Drum roll please... Brooke, Allie, Azla and Amy.

The Month of Love

Do you ever find yourself looking at your spouse across the great abyss of children, responsibilities and commitments thinking, I MISS YOU. I miss us! Do you remember when we were two crazy kids in love ready to take on the world? Now we are two tired grown-ups lucky to make it to the evening news. Don't get me wrong, I love this life we have created. We make a great Batman & Robin, Good cop/ Bad cop, Ron & Veronica (Anchorman reference), but when do we make time to just be R & A?

This is the month of love by-golly. We need to act like it. I am not asking for flower petals sprinkled to the bedroom or candlelight dinners in the buff. All I want is a date. Treat me like a LADY (and not your cleaning lady). I'm not looking for a longterm committment, been there done that. Let's just make a little time so that we stop missing each other... and continue falling in love.

My proposal is this... let's date like those two crazy kids, fog up some windows, and be home by 10pm to relieve the babysitter (and watch the news).

Fashion Sense

The Secret Life of Me

It all starts with a casual "How was your day dear?". How does one answer that especially if you are a mom. The real question my dear husband is "How much do you really want to know?"

Do you want to know that I finally got a shower before noon, which is the true sign of a productive day. That ambitious shower I mentioned, it came at a price. E decided to throw anything she could find into the shower with me, while G-bean tried on every item of clothing in her closet. Do I mention E's sneezing incident and the oatmeal & bananas that I am now wearing? Should I share the archeological dig I conducted behind the dryer where I was delighted to find loose change, a favorite lipgloss, rogue sock, missing button & your car keys. Or how I have honed my skills and can make the perfect snowman shaped peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Which must then be presented on the exact same plate & cup, so that we can have equality for midgets that love pink. Do you want to know that I am qualified to wrestle greased pigs after changing our wiggly 1 year old while making phone calls. Would you be interested in the fact that our house is transformed into dress up central with G-bean & friend playing princesses? Nothing like the pitter patter of royal heels. And that sometimes their magical kingdom needs a referee.

Are you curious about E's love of dumping out dog food, fishing in the toilet and placing random phone calls? Do you wonder where I learned to remove ball point pen from a leather couch? I'll give you a clue, it wasn't the Army. Should I tell you the real reason my back hurts is because I want to give piggy back rides & snuggle with our girls until they are too big or too cool. And would you like to hear about the entertaining fieldtrip to the fire station where G-bean decided to share her personal tragedy of being burned by a cookie sheet. (Let that be a lesson to you children- Don't bake.) How about the orchestrating of nap times so that everyone sleeps...without being woken up by the phone, door, dog or sibling. Would you like to know my strategies for making chores sound sooooo exciting that G-bean is inspired to take action? The cleanup song just isn't enough these days (for either of us). Would you be interested in the growing mountain of laundry I have been ignoring... and debating whether a controlled fire would be my best course of action. Should I keep going?

"My day was great dear." Some things are just better left unsaid.

Inner voice: Oh and that sound of the dryer, it's the 4th time that I have fluffed the same load. That hum just makes me feel productive. And no I am not ready for bed early, sweats just looked more appealing.

Happy 1st Birthday To Our Little E-Claire