Big Delores, How Do I Love Thee

I so wish I had a picture of Big Delores.  Unfortunately, she is gone with Anthony this weekend for the Ragnar race.  I miss her!  Him too.  But right now I’ll focus on her.  :) 

About three months ago, my parents asked if we could swap cars.  They would give us their old white van in exchange for our little silver Impala.  This was a no-brainer for us.  We were absolutely on board!  With all the running around that I do getting kids to and from various activities, we needed something that wasn’t quite as thirsty as Big Delores.  She’s kind of a hog… gas hog, that is.  Anthony always took the Impala to work because there was no way I was going to fit our army of a family in that thing.  So, he ended up getting GREAT gas mileage in that thing and rarely had to fill up because work is only a mere three miles away.  Meanwhile, I was running poor Delores ragged booking it from here to there and back again. 

Anyway, long story short, we took them up on the offer.  Insurance went up $50 a month, but gas has gone way down.  I still don’t understand the insurance thing.  We got rid of a sports car and added a minivan for crying out loud!  Whatever. 

We decided to name the van Timmy.  He’s a very timid little thing in comparison to Big D.  Hence the name… He’s great for running around but the kids and I still get excited when we get to hop in our beloved Big Delores.  She’s the only way we can fit everyone in when Anthony is with us. 

At the beginning of our writing course this semester, we had to write a love letter.  The love letter was not to be written to someONE but rather to someTHING that we love.  I chose Big Delores.  I was just beginning to realize how much I was missing her after having driven Timmy for a couple of weeks.  So, here it is…

Dear Big Delores (Suburban), It seems like only yesterday that I brought you home. The search for just the right vehicle to fit a family of seven, going on eight, seemed never ending. Then we saw you. Your beautiful black paint was a welcome sight after having driven old Wanda B. Red for a while before finding out that we would be adding another member to our ‘gang’.

You never got to meet Wanda. She was a Durango. A sweet gal, but she didn’t go well with our University of Utah gear being that she was a brilliant version of BYU’s blue. She sure wanted to be red though, which is why she got the name Wanda B. Red. When I spotted you, I just knew that you were the one to replace her. Sure, you had a slight drawback. You had two bucket seats in the middle row where we needed a bench to fit the new baby. Luckily, a tan bench, to match the rest of your interior, was located shortly after the baby was born.

When I’m behind your wheel I can’t help but feel a sense of safety. Come to think of it, I feel safe even in the passenger seat. Some of the vehicles humming along next to us on the freeway seem so vulnerable, like tiny bugs about to get squished. You, my love, are not them, and I love you for it. I feel like an army sergeant on the road, barking orders at all the little worker ants. “Get out of my way! Here comes Big Delores!” Of course there are much larger vehicles out there, and in no way am I implying that you are fat. I like to refer to you as “medium husky”.

Big Delores, you just make me happy. I love that you allowed me to name you after the girl in the movie Hope Floats. You’ve got a great sense of humor about me telling people that you have your own gang. You have to admit, not only are you large enough to have your own gang, you literally carry my gang around everywhere. Don’t worry; I’ve got your back!

You’re getting up there in years and miles now which makes me sad. The slight, repetitive rev of your engine when we are at a standstill leads me to believe that you might be giving out on me soon. Please know that you mean more to me than I can possibly explain in words (or afford to replace in dollars). I will love you forever. No vehicle will ever be able to replace you in my heart.

Love,

Brooke













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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

There’s a war going on in my house.  And it’s all because Anthony’s taste buds are dying? dead? deranged? insane? disturbed?

I don’t know, all I know is they’re just not right!  Pumpkin is one of the best flavors in the world when paired with sugar… and chocolate chips (unless it’s pie, because… EW!).  But seriously, it causes me much anguish that he doesn’t love pumpkin the way I do. 

Maybe I should have screened him better before entering into this lifelong commitment… I kid, of course ;)

Every time I make a pumpkin dish (besides pie because he already likes the pie) I force it down his throat and I just know that this will be it!!  This will be the time that he says, “WOW!  That is great!  I love it, give me more.” 

No such luck.  He always politely eats (if you can call his unacceptance as ‘polite’… psh!) and then says something like, “I just don’t love that flavor combo.”

Who is this man? 

Ugh! 

Anyway, I found a recipe that I LOVE!  (Original recipe found HERE) I modified it slightly because the original recipe made a gigantic batch and I like my pumpkin treats to be full of spicy flavor.  And I lowered the temp of the oven as well.

These are TO DIE FOR, moist and delicious!  I promise you’ll love them (unless you’re my husband, then you’re just a weirdy! ;))

Mix together the following:

• 1 c. softened butter
• 1 1/2 c. sugar

Add:

• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine:

• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 - 3/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix…

Add:

• 15 oz. pumpkin puree

Once all is combined well, stir in:

• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Bake at 325* for about 20-25 minutes.  This made 24 muffins. 

{Don’t forget to enter to win a 1-year subscription to BYOU magazine.  Click here}

It’s not too late for a Resolution post, right?

So here we are… February 2nd and I still haven’t posted my New Year’s resolutions. 

What a loser!!

Well, better late than never.  A month late and a dollar short.  What can I say?  I still want a fresh start. 

1. Say yes more often to the kids.
2. Stop making promises you don’t know if you can keep… to my kids.
3. Try not to please everyone around me.  It can’t be done!
4. Be happy with what I’ve got right now. 
5. Go to the temple with Anthony at least once per month.  (I know, January is gone and we didn’t make it.  11 times in one year will still be a heck of an improvement over last year!)
6. Finish the Book of Mormon.  If K can do it, so can I!
7. SCRAPBOOK!!  Hello!!  I’ve got a TON of supplies that have never been touched because I bought it all years and years ago and never did anything with it.  Does anyone scrapbook anymore?  Is it all digital and stuff now?  I’m way behind the times!
8. Smile more often.
9. Read more REAL books.
10. Eat better & Exercise at least 4 or 5 times per week.  At least! 
11. Stop finding so many ‘Pinteresting’ things and actually DO some of them!  Utilize the pinboards, Brooke.  On second thought… keep finding all the fun stuff, pin away, but make sure you MAKE some of them.  Is it weird that sometimes I feel creative just pinning it?  Go me!
12. Plan school a week ahead of time.  That’s a tough one for some reason.
13. Strengthen my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Figure out the ‘WHY’ of the Gospel.  (Love that talk! – Forget Me Not)
14. Is it bad luck to have 13 goals?  I’ll throw this line in just to look like an extra.  Totally works!
15. Just kidding.  I just thought of my other one.  Learn to sew, knit and crochet.  That’s right, folks!  I plan to be the jack of all trades.  Someday…

 

Speaking of fresh starts, Anthony has a new job!  Hooray for jobs that are consistently 40+ hours per week!!  The job with the construction crew (which he loved) wasn’t working out.  It was 40 hours per week for the first few weeks and then they started having a day off here and a day off there.  Then it became 2 or 3 days off per week.  Out of nowhere, they give everyone A WHOLE WEEK OFF! 

Um, hi!  We have five kids, lots of bills and no money as it is… a week off is not good, my friends!

And so I went behind Anthony’s back one night and posted on my facebook that we were in search of a new job.  Hey, a wife’s gotta do what a wife’s gotta do!  I really didn’t expect much to come of it but the next morning, as luck would have it, a guy in our ward called.  The company his family owns was hiring.  Anthony got an interview and was hired on the spot.  The pay is not much (actually he’s making less per hour) but the checks will be bigger because he’s working full time.  Hooray for that!  And did I mention that he’s having a lot of fun?  He’s loving it there and can’t wait for the spring and summer… their busy time. 

 

Regrow Your Green Onions

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I admit, I was skeptical.  Maybe I’m just a skeptical person in general but I thought there was no way I could really take my used green onions and regrow them.  Totally… dead… wrong! 

Look what happened! 

We used the green part only on our Thai Chicken Pizza so I ‘replanted’ the roots in water.  The growth shows immediately after cutting, 4 days later, and finally a full week’s worth of growth!  Pretty cool, eh?  

The Blog in Review - 2011

I started this blog six months ago.  During that time, I have made a few really great blog friends and gained some AWESOME readers!  There are a few of you that even leave comments.  Most of you are too shy but that’s ok.  I love you anyway!  ;)  But thanks for leaving comments when you can.  I love to read them!

It’s been really fun for me to get to know so many of you through your blogs and through emails back and forth.  

I wanted to take a minute to thank the academy……

Oh wait, that’s not right.  I really just wanted to take a look back at some of my greatest hits here on this blog. 

Here are the FIVE most viewed posts of 2011:

Soda Pop Can Hair Bows (most viewed by a LANDSLIDE! – this was my very first post!)

Busy Bag Ideas (Part 1 here, Part 2 here)

Homemade Butter

Sinful Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownies

Raspberry Cream Cheese Bread

Even though the following posts didn’t make it into the Babblin’ Brooke Hall of Fame according to views, I wanted to post some of MY personal favorites.

Mommy Guilt

A Day of Firsts

I’m Gonna Miss This

You Should Know…

You Should ALSO Know…

Our Sunday Adventures

And there you have it!  I can’t wait for a new year of blogging!  And this time it will be a full year.  None of this starting in June business.  I realize that I’m no photography buff, nor am I a great writer.  But I appreciate all of you that take the time to read this little ol’ nothin’ blog.

I’m curious… what are some of YOUR favorite posts? 

 

Happenings

So much for writing “every day” in December, eh?  I’m trying but I’ve been extremely busy with… boys.  All three of them! 

B has been busy taking lessons in the art of tantrum throwing.  He’s a quick learner.  Of course, it helps that he’s got the gold medalist himself as a mentor.  Oh, not only is C teaching him how to throw himself to the ground in protest any time he doesn’t get his way, he has also taught him how to spit (see here and here)!  B doesn’t quite have it down yet.  He still has to gather it up in his mouth for a few seconds before there’s enough to actually spit out.  Even then, it falls to the floor slowly…. after pooling on his chin first.  It’s pretty much awesome.

C has been busy not only giving lessons in spitting and tantrum throwing but he’s perfecting his aim in the throwing department.  Just yesterday he threw this angel at A.  She now only has one wing…. not A, the angel. ;) 

C is also working on his artistic abilities.  I’ll have to take pictures tomorrow.  I might have been too upset about it today.  There are several ‘mysterious’ blue colored pencil marks (some are quite large) in several different areas of the house.  Everything seems to be his canvas; the girls’ freshly painted pink bed, the couch, a large section of wall in his bedroom (the same wall with the nail polish), and the wall next to the heater he likes to sit on when it’s blowing (next to the couch). 

Speaking of said heater… look what I found down in there when C removed the cover today. 

Too bad we had just thrown the bodies of these dolls away because the heads were nowhere to be found.

Anthony has recently cooked up some shenanigans as well.  My favorite is this… (The one on the bottom looks horrible but I promise I wash it!)

Me (as I’m washing my cookie sheets after they mysteriously showed up in the sink):  Holy cow!  What happened to my pans?  Why are they all scratched up?  That’s weird!

Anthony:  What do you mean?  Is something wrong with them? 

Me:  Yeah, they’re scratched really bad!  One of them is even gouged and has a sharp piece sticking up.

Anthony:  Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize it did that. 

Me:  What do you mean?  Did you do this? 

Anthony:  Yeah.  That’s how I moved my pool table the other night. 

(We rearranged the basement so we could actually use it as a family room.  The pool table [which is a very heavy slate table] usually has to be moved by several men.  Anthony was too impatient to wait!)

Apparently he used the cookie sheets under the back two legs of the pool table so that it would slide easily.  Then he just Supermanned it!  But really, couldn’t he have at least put a towel over the cookie sheet to prevent scratching them so badly? 

Silly him!  Silly all of them. 

My boys… I love ‘em!  How boring life would be without them!

**P.S.  Next week and the following should be full of recipes and gift ideas.  Stay tuned!  The girls and I have lots of plans!**  

 

Hand Vibes–Review and Giveaway

Have you ever heard of Hand Vibes?  They’re bound to become the next craze for kids.  They come in several different colors and have over 30 different sayings on them. 

They are little rings with fun things on them such as BFF, {thumbs up}LIKE, Bro, Fresh, Epic, Dude, Boo-yah, and much much more. 

I have to be honest, I was glad we didn’t get the one that says OMG.  To me that means Oh My Goodness but I know for many people it means something else that would require taking and speaking a very sacred name in vain. 

Aside from that, I think they are so fun. 

They come packaged in sets of three.  Two are visible and one is hidden…. a ‘mystery ring’!  PLUS… one out of every six ring packs will include a ring with a fun, collectible emoticon design.  There are 10 different emoticons to collect.  Hard to find but certainly not impossible ;)

We were not lucky enough to find an emoticon ring.

They come in one size only which means they don’t quite fit little ones such as my C and B and they also don’t fit Anthony.  They were just a little tight on him.  He was disappointed… he wanted to be ‘cool’ like us girls! 

These fun rings can be found in Target, Toys R Us, and other stores. 

But YOU could win some right now!  They would make fun stocking stuffers for the kiddos.  The nice people at Hand Vibes have agreed to give TWO sets of Hand Vibes to ONE lucky winner.  That’s a total of 6 rings!!!  Winner will be chosen this Friday. 

There are four ways to enter.  Be sure to leave a separate comment here on this post for each entry. 

1. Leave a comment telling me the best thing Santa’s ever left in your stocking.
2. Follow my blog via GFC (over on the right) or become a subscriber – leave a comment.
3. Like my facebook page – leave a comment HERE to let me know you did.
4. Tell your friends about this giveaway via Twitter, Facebook or your own blog – leave a comment HERE!

I received no compensation for this post.  I was sent free product in order to write an honest review and host a giveaway.  All opinions expressed herein are my own.

 

Patty Cake Cats = Best Video Out There!

I just want to share my favorite video with you.  My kids, Anthony, and I all end up rolling on the floor every time we watch it.

If you’ve never seen it before, watch it once, watch it again and then be sure to watch it a third time.  I am 98% sure that you will laugh harder each time.  You’ll pick up more of the lines and soon enough, you’ll be quoting from this video.  It happens to the best of us!

To see another one of my favorite videos,click here.  It’s a great one also!

No Big Deal!!

I thought I should share a few things that we should all be grateful for.

--Our teeth!  I’m grateful that I have my own.  So what if you take your baby (19 month old) to the doctor, speak with him, laugh when he says something funny, then realize in the mirrored elevator that you have a nice little black speck (probably pepper) stuck in them in a very obvious spot.  No big deal.

--Clothes!  Even though I don’t have many, I’m glad that I have some… even if they are falling apart.  It shouldn’t matter that you notice a nice hole forming in the yoohoo area of your favorite jeans while sitting indian style in your daughter’s tumbling class.  No big deal.

--Refrigerators!  Seriously, what would we do without them?  It’s just a good thing I have two.  Not that it’s a big deal that the older one can serve either soft serve ice cream or a solid brick.  I like surprises!  Do you think it’s a problem that every once in a while it gets really hot on top?  Like, almost too hot to touch?  No big deal, right?  It’s just making soft serve…

--Cars!  Again, what would we do without them?  I can’t imagine having to pull a handcart or ride a horse and buggy around.  I am NOT Amish.  I assume you’re not either.  But anyway, it’s not a big deal at all if your Suburban has had an almost dead battery for months now.  And if you’re pretty sure that it won’t start tomorrow, no big deal.

--Dishwashers!  Only washing half the dishes each load is perfectly normal.  And when the kids break the handle so it no longer latches and it flaps open several times during each load, no big deal.  Simply shut the door again and wipe up the water with a towel.  NO BIG DEAL!

--Neighbors!  Sending you 11 giant zucchinis and six overgrown cucumbers is awesome!  No big deal that you don’t have any freezer bags yet.  Grab some tomorrow.  You’re going shopping anyway, right?

Oh the stuff I could collect…

If you followed me to this blog from my old one, you probably remember that I have a relative that likes to bring us… stuff!

To be honest, I’m not really sure why he brings us this stuff.  My theory is that he is a hoarder.  Actually, I KNOW he is a hoarder but not the kind you see on TV.  Not the ones with the mold growing and the ‘stuff’ thrown about like it’s a landfill.  Not that kind of hoarder.

He’s a much tidier hoarder. 

The kind of hoarder with organized stacks of newspapers, junk mail, shoe boxes, napkins from this restaurant and that, hubcaps found on the side of the road (he would turn them in for cash), scraps of paper… just in case, etc.  I don’t think he would ever consider himself a hoarder at all and please know that we really do care for this family member.  This is just one of those things that must be documented.  Even he laughs at the stuff he brings us sometimes.

I think he must decide that if this ‘stuff’ is not usable to him, it must be usable to someone.  He must think of me as Someone. 

The goods always show up in a cardboard Nike shoe box.  And there are always little tiny ‘goods’ too.  However, I am not allowed to keep said Nike shoe box. 

All the goods must be transferred to my own box… though the kitchen counter serves this purpose just as well. 

We’ve received everything from Snapple lids (yes, the lids… about a hundred of them altogether), hotel napkins (most from Las Vegas), paper coasters (also from Vegas) and the like to a watch face (just the face), broken McDonald’s toys, and broken cell phones, and pieces of 2- 5 inch ribbon (all found in parking lots or street gutters). 

And sometimes, there is actually something useful in there.

Sometimes….

Anthony and I thought about making a ‘JUNK collage’ on our wall downstairs.  Would have been fun but hmmm, no! 

I JUST COULDN’T HANDLE IT ANY LONGER!!  I’ve got enough ‘stuff’ as it is. 

We settled for pictures instead. 

Last night’s collection of crap stuff looked a little something like this:



Actually, it looked exactly like that.  Only it started out in a Nike shoe box.  Wasn’t that nice of him to bring us a late night snack from McDonald’s? 

Let’s take a closer look…

• Pom-pom – found while he was running on a high school track.  It has fiber-optics but sadly, doesn’t work.  “The girls can play with it.” 

• Movie passes – something we can actually use!  Hooray!

• Hat, glow stick necklaces (old ones… they no longer glow), a brochure, and mechanical pencils (also found on the track at the high school where he runs)

• And now for my very favorite!  Our late night snack turned out to be a sack full of ketchup packets.  43 to be exact.  I counted just for fun.  We got a good chuckle out of that one. 

It’s always fun to see what treasures the beloved Nike box will provide.  Like I said, lots of junk (aka garbage) but every once in a while there’s something worth keeping. 

I’ve tried telling him that we just don’t need that stuff but he continues to bring it anyway.  I’m at a loss.  What can I do?  I just have to laugh. 

Do you have ‘gift-bearer’ in your family? 

 

 

A Little TMI… Sorry!

Today I can’t find my bra. 

Strike that, I can’t find the right bra. 

I have 3 bras… TOTAL!  Well, 5 if you count my two sports bras.

The three normal bras that I own are three different sizes.  One is a size A, another a size B, and the third is a D.  The D is a nursing bra so I guess that doesn’t technically count as a normal bra.  At one point, I also had a size C but it seems to be missing at the moment. 

Why would one have such a variety of bra sizes, you ask?  Well, before having children, I was always an A (I know, and it gets worse).  During my pregnancies, I always graduate to a B for the bulk of my pregnancy and toward the end, I am a full C.  Once the milk ducts do their thing after having the baby, I am a very full and very painful DD!  Yes, Double D!!!  OUCH!  That lasts for about two weeks.

They ‘slim’ down to a D for a while after that and eventually settle for being full C’s while the baby is nursing at regular intervals. 

Once the baby has started eating more table foods and it’s getting closer to the time to wean (around 7 or 8 months), they ‘slim’ down even more and settle for B’s.  I can handle the C’s and the B’s.  I rather like them then.

It’s always a sad day when the baby stops nursing for good.  I know what’s in store.  They slowly shrivel more and more every day until eventually…

They’re A’s again.  Very stretched out A’s.  You see, going from A to DD takes quite a toll on one’s girl parts!  Let’s just say, there were LOTS of purple lines during that first pregnancy. 

But it gets worse… (how could it get any worse, right?)  Oh but it does……

They shrink even past the point of being A’s.  They shrivel down to aborigine looking AA’s.  

**Sigh**

If you are a mom with the same sort of problem, I feel your pain.  If you are a guy and you are reading this… I am so sorry (and slightly embarrassed… but not really)!  Just something I had to throw out there. 

And that’s where we’re at now.  But do you know how hard it is to find a AA bra?  I can’t find them anywhere!!  And I refuse to pay Victoria’s Secret prices when I can go to Target or Ross and get four or five bras for the same price!  Unfortunately, we’re poor, so I can only afford one bra even at Ross prices.  But they only had A’s, not AA’s.  So, I went to Target (this was several months ago) and found the same problem.  But who wants to waste gas driving back and forth?  So, I settled for an A at Target prices.  Yes, that is splurging for me! 

At any rate, I have only one bra that {kind of} fits me.  Can’t find it.  This never happens!

Hope I find it before the girls have to go to dance class.  That could be embarrassing!!

 

My Super Awesome Texting Abilities

Sad, but true fact… I, Brooke, owner of this here blog, had never sent a text….. until TODAY!!  

I’ve never had a desire to learn.  But our mobile provider just came out with this new snooty tooty plan (I have no idea what it’s called) and it came out to be less expensive to get the whole shebang for BOTH our phones than what we had before.  Anthony already had the whole shebang.  I had very basic service. 

Here’s a list of things that I knew how to do with my phone before today: 

1. Answer an incoming call.


2. Make a call.


3. Listen to my voicemail.


4. Turn my phone on and off. 


5. I’m pretending there’s a 5th thing…. that’s about it!

Yes, my phone has a camera.  I don’t even know how to get to that function.  However, my kids find things on my phone that I didn’t even know were there!  Calendar?  Alarm Settings?  Awesome!  When I try to find them, I swear they disappear.  I don’t even know how to store someone’s phone number in my phone so their name will pop up and stuff when they call.  I’ve done it once or twice… quite by accident, but don’t ask me to do it on the spot!  I’ll just memorize the phone number instead.  Good thing I’m pretty good at it, eh?

Well, today I needed a phone number from Anthony.  I called him for it.  He said it would be easier to text it to me. 

He’s lucky I figured out how to open a text.  Don’t laugh, it took a minute.

His message was simple:

{Phone Number}, love ya!

Ok, so I’m a big huge nerd.  That simple message just made my day! 

In an attempt to show off my super awesome abilities (the ones I hadn’t even tried yet :)), I wrote a text back to him:





Holy cow!  It took forever!  And now I know why I like to have REAL conversations. 

Here are the messages he sent back to me.

 

Oh how I love my Afony!

And now I can add ‘texting’ to my list!  Albeit a very slow text, it’s texting nonetheless. 

What did you learn to do today?

 

 

 

Kit Kat Woes

Hi, my name is Brooke and I’m a sugar addict. 

I try to eat healthy, really I do, and I am {mostly} successful!  Do I get any points for that? 

I try to follow the 80/20 rule and trust me, I take FULL advantage of my 20… thank goodness for the 20! 

The other day, I bought some Kit Kats for our Halloween Bouquet and may have ‘accidentally’ left a couple out. 

Hey, I’m entitled, no? 

It was torture waiting for the kids to go to bed that night because those darn Kit Kats were calling my name the whole day.  TORTURE!!  And when it finally happened, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one of those packages (just one… but I wanted two).  I gave the second one to Anthony.  I’m the best wife ever ;)

Anyone else hide the good stuff and wait for the kids to go to bed to pull it out?  Does that make me a food hoarder?  If so… Hi, my name is Brooke and not only am I sugar addict, I’m also a food hoarder.  THERE!  I said it… Sheesh!

I feel better now.  Sort of.

Anyway, I pulled out the goods and opened the package to find a cutesy Halloween design on my Kit Kat.  What the…  I knew the package was Halloween-ish but didn’t realize the candy itself would be mutilated.  As I tried to break each piece away, look what happened…



UGH!  They don’t break like they’re supposed to!  So much for “break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar”.  We’ve got some serious issues here. 

And then trying to eat it was just all wrong.  Ok, so maybe I eat my Kit Kats funny.  But even Anthony who eats his Kit Kats the boring normal way said that the chocolate to wafer ratio was all wrong.  It just was!

So tonight, I had to buy some more, some normal ones.  No Halloween designs.  Had to.  And yes, we ate and we feel better.  Or at least I do. 

Random and silly, I know but I promise to have a less random post tomorrow.  Just had to gripe.  Thanks for hearing me out. 

Anything you’d like to share?  You’ll feel better, I promise… 

 

 

 

You Learn Something New Every Day

Today B learned how to be a man.  Or at least a boy.

 

Anthony taught him how to lift his leg and fart.  Not a real fart, just fart noises with his mouth.  Isn’t that precious?  It’s like the first time they smile.  Or the first time they giggle.  Or how about the first step.  This is truly that exciting.

Except that it’s not.  Is it a right of passage for boys?  What is it with boys and fart noises?  Or the real thing for that matter! 

There we were, enjoying a nice game Phase 10 Dice with the kids for Family Home Evening when all of the sudden, Anthony is showing B how to lift his leg and make a fart sound. 

Oh the kids thought it was hilarious!  B caught on quickly.  He realized that every time he did it, he got a roar of laughter. 

Anthony:  Hey B, do this (lifts leg and makes fart noise.)

B:  (lifts and makes noise)

Kids:  (burst of laughter)

Me:  Ok guys, that’s enough.

Anthony:  Oh c’mon, it’s funny!

Me:  Ok, but that’s… (before I can finish, B lifts and makes another noise) enough.  We don’t need him doing that. 

Anthony:  Wouldn’t that be funny if he did it at church (B lifts and makes noise… roar of laughter from kids.  Anthony can hardly contain himself) in the middle of nursery?

Me:  Yeah, hilarious… umm, no. 

 

Ok, so I admit, it was really kind of funny in the comfort of our own home with no one else around.  And here I am telling you so that you can think we’re the biggest weirdies on the planet.  Can we still be friends? 

Here’s to me finding my sense of humor and bracing myself for several years of fart noises and stinky boy stuff ahead! 

 

P.S.  B learned an important lesson yesterday as well.  Dark brown sidewalk chalk is not sidewalk chalk at all.  **shudder**  Just FYI.

The Art of Taking Awesomely Funny Pictures!

So, I may not be a photographer (although I still say that if I had a fancy shmancy camera I’d be a heck of a lot better…) but I know a good picture when I see one.  I also know a funny picture when I see one.  And what you’re about to see are some FUNNY pictures, yo!  (I don’t really talk like that.  I just wanted to try ‘yo’ on for size… I don’t think it fits.)

I believe it was my cousin that taught me this handy dandy trick.  So handy, in fact, that I may have made everone  I encountered give me their best slurber for a whole month after learning it.  All in the name of taking a hilariously embarrassing picture.  (Maybe I’ll post some after I get their permission…)  But I must warn you, before getting into this here ‘tutorial’, sometimes it takes many many many tries to get the best picture. 

Oh, and the subject has to know how to slurber just right.  You may have to demonstrate.  People just don’t know how to slurber these days… **sigh**

What’s a slurber, you ask?  Oh you know that sound you make when you’re playing with a baby or young child.  The one where you are trying to get them to blow bubbles in the water or the sound that a horsey makes… THAT sound.  With your mouth.  Ya got me?  Good!

Ok, so you can’t just do any ol’ slurber.  It’s got to be an exaggerated slurber.  Lots of air, lots of lip flapping.  Loosen those lips!  THOSE make for the best pictures!  And you can’t laugh.  Those ones do not turn out.  This is a serious matter, people… ;)

The other day while having our nature study, we got our slurbers on and took some pics.  I’m pretty sure I won… What do you think?  

I’ve gotta teach these youngens of mine a proper, picture worthy slurber technique.

  

 

How Do YOU Socialize Your Children?

I am often asked how we socialize our kids because apparently, being homeschoolers means we’re unsocialized, unkempt (well, sometimes), and we live in a bubble.  A bubble which no one is allowed to enter. 

Because my kids aren’t involved in any extracurricular activities or anything {dance}.  We don’t go to church every Sunday {this Sunday is the Primary Program}.  We certainly never get together with friends or family members {anyone up for a game night?}.  The park is OUT OF THE QUESTION!  Someone might see us!  We only take walks after dark so as to not draw attention to ourselves.  Oh, and we have our kids’ marriages arranged. 

So you see, our kids get all the socialization they need right here in our little bubble. 

No? 

Ok, so maybe none of that is true… except that I might want to arrange marriages.  That way we could skip the whole dating part altogether!  Not a bad idea, eh?  I like the sound of it… **Insert evil laugh**

The honest truth is, I believe the public schools have a place in our society.  Homeschooling is not for everyone and it certainly isn’t easy.  In fact, I never thought it would be something I would EVER do… EVER!  (Link to my latest Latter-Day Homeschooling post)  But it’s been the best thing for all of us.  I think too often the ‘socialization’ at school is negative socialization.  But that’s another matter for another time. 

Below is my absolute favorite youtube video.  For now anyway, it changes from time to time.  Hilarious!  You must watch. 

 

Celebrity Look Alikes

When I first met Anthony’s mom, she insisted that I looked like Cher.  My father-in-law agreed. 

Hmmm, that was a new one for me.

 

 

My cousin has always told me that I resemble Julia Roberts…

I WISH!! 

Anthony, has been told many, many times that he looks like either…



 

Patrick Swayze or…

Brett Favre.

 

I can see the resemblance somewhat for both.  You?

 

Most recently, my father-in-law said to Anthony and I, “I hope you aren’t offended by this but do you know who C looks like?  Peewee Herman!” 

 

Oh boy!  As sad as it may be, I see what he is saying.  It’s gotta be the haircut. 

But I think his buzzed head makes him look like Curious George.

 

What do you think?  Are you ever told that you look like anyone?

Naming Children

Remember when you were little, playing with your dolls, and you would think of the best, most beautiful, awesomest {it’s a word now, just ask me}, glorious name you had ever heard in your life to name your dolls?  Or better yet, you even got to be the one with that name.  Playing house was always much more fun when I got to be someone like Tatiana, because Tatiana was the most beautiful name I had ever heard. 

My cousin always wanted to be Francesca. 

And my stuffed animals got to have some of the best names ever thought of.  I mean, who wouldn’t want a dog named Poncho Herman?  Poncho for my uncle whom I adored and Herman because Peewee Herman pretty much the coolest guy on the entire planet.  No? 

These days, it’s my girls who are naming their animals and dolls. I overhear my girls talking about what they’ll name their kids one day.  George and Henry are frontrunners right now. 

Like I said before, at one point, one of my children was to be named Tatiana.  Except by the time I actually had kids, Tatiana was no longer on my list. 

The other day, while shopping at Target, I ran across these guys. 

Coco Cameron



Sasha Shelly



Remember them?  Oh how I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids!  I had many, many of them throughout my childhood and I never had to come up with a name.  I loved that!  They came with a ‘beautiful’ name already chosen for me.  Names that flowed just as well as my beloved Poncho Herman.  There were five CPK that I absolutely adored, 3 girls and 2 boys.  And I loved their names so much that I decided to name my kids after them one day. 

As luck would have it, I have 3 girls and 2 boys.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get Anthony on board with the names I had chosen from the cabbage patch.  Ugh!  I don’t know what’s wrong with him ;) 

Here’s a list of what my children’s names ‘should’ have been….

K would have been:  Lynette Hattie

A would have been:  Dinah Melva

H would have been:  Felice Dawn

C would have been:  Ed Gilbert

B would have been:  Carl Mac

 

Like I said, I don’t know what’s wrong with Anthony.  I’m positive that A would have loved for her middle name to be Melva.  Who wouldn’t?  And doesn’t B just look like a Carl Mac.  He totally does.  C would’ve made a great Ed!  **Sigh** 

Whatever, Anthony!  Sheesh, give our kids normal names… how boring…