Quick Takes.

Holy Link Up Batman! I am just a link up queen this week. Pretty much this blog. I really need to write a blog post. Maybe I'll schedule a whole bunch this weekend.

1. Today is already one of those days where I'm counting down until nap time. Everything is a crisis today apparently. I missed that memo but my resident one year old is letting me know that I am wrong.

2. If I could ask St. Anthony to intercede for me in the help of finding my mascara, glasses and remote. They have each been missing for a while. I realize they are just not that important of items but given the fact that last night Husband and I spent HOURS. Literally from the time C went to bed at 8:00 until about 12:30 going through our cars, every drawer, cupboard and closet in the house. We made a huge mess and you'd think we'd stumble on one of the three even accidentally. But no.

3. If it doesn't rain, tomorrow is The Color Run. I can't decide if I am hoping for rain or not. That's horrible but true. I think it'd be fun and I'd enjoy the time spent with Husband getting colored. I would also like to just not do the 5K (jogging slowly) and avoid the crowd. It's going to be a mess.

4. With all the storms we are on basement flood #4 of the year. But better rainwater than the raw sewage some people are getting. We have still decided to not do anything yet. All of out possessions are out of harm and even though this is starting to feel normal the weather is quite unusual.

5. We were supposed to have family pictures taken today. But see number 3 and 4. The weather is terrible. Even if it doesn't rain this afternoon (it's supposed to) the ground is too saturated to lay/sit/walk on it. I've spent hours reading through tips for family photos and coordinated (not matching) outfits. We are ready when Mother Nature cooperates.

6. I made a menu plan that included  breakfast and lunch! No more wandering aimlessly through the kitchen wondering what veggies he had last and just putting something on his tray! It's actually sad how long it took me to do this. But already today it was helpful.

7. Well I was on a roll but now I've got nothing. Happy Friday! Thanks Jen for hosting!

Selfies. Theme Thursday.

Oh goodness. Self Portrait Day.

I mean, we all knew this was coming. But... I don't take pictures of myself. I blessedly just missed the "stand in the mirror with your cell phone and make a duck face then post it all over the internet" age range. It's really a foreign concept to me. So I got out the camera and started clicking. Some with the whole here's my arm holding the camera and some with the self timer thingy.

It's a good thing we don't have to post all the pictures we take because lemme tell you, there are some real winners. Lucky for me I found one that didn't completely make me roll my eyes and cry inwardly. (Possibly outwardly... but I'll never tell.)

This was taken on the good camera. On auto focus. Because I was taking a picture of myself. And to take a selfy was challenging enough. Manual focus? As Sweet Brown will tell you "Ain't nobody got time for that."

Then... I played with photoshop. Since we own it and I wanted to. But seriously, I have NO idea what happened. Sorry for my lack of Pioneer Woman-esque photography tutorial. :)

So. There I am.
I don't know what this picture says about me as a person. But it's the one I liked the best so I guess it must speak to me in some way.


Link up your beautiful self so I can see what you look like. I'm curious like that.

Then get ready for June! Looking forward to girls, dad, water and black and white!

Bright Copper Kettles

1. The Wet Brush. Seriously. This brush has DRASTICALLY cut back on the need for conditioner. I have LOTS of fine hair. So tangles are inevitable. Until this brush. I read a review and didn't think that much of it. Then my brother randomly bought one for my mom for Christmas. And I stole it every time I was at her house and she got me one for Easter. I need to buy like 3 more because I like to have a bathroom brush, a bedroom brush and a downstairs brush. Bonus: the rubber coating makes C want to use it as a chew toy. And he does. Multifaceted fun. :) I know like everyone has this brush already and I am late to the party, but if you DON'T have this brush already this is your invite!

2. Ceasar Salad. I am having a love affair with Ceasar Salad.

3. Thunderstorms. I could definitely skip the flooding basement, buckled roads, gnats and mosquitoes growing in puddles and other down sides of rain. But I love sitting inside and watching a good thunderstorm.

4. Pajama days. All the rain has made it very easy to call pajama day. Luckily C doesn't mind, care or notice.

5. My book club. I like having at least one night to get out and see some friends and discuss a book! I love stretching my brain and even though I was a SLACKER this month and read it last night and today (definitely the latest I have ever read the book.) I felt that the discussion was really interesting. Yay!

Happy Wednesday. I really need to get to work on my C is one post but... life is busy! : But I have time for 5 Favorites and I bet you do too. Link up with Hallie!

Happy Birthday Little Boy

Oh C. It is such a pleasure to be your mommy. 

Look how far you came in 365 days! (Okay 358 since this picture was last week.) 

Happy Birthday Little Boy!! I love you so much!

Prepping. The 72 Hour Kit.

Have you seen doomsday preppers? I actually really like that show. I am WAY not a conspiracy theorist and heck if half the stuff those people prep for happens I'd be quite happy to not survive the disaster. But for things like the plot of Revolution actually coming true, I am a worry wort and I love PLANNING.

So that led us to create 72 hour kits. In the event we would need to quickly evacuate our home we would have enough to last for 72 hours (maybe even more to be honest) without any help or aid. Now there are many aid organizations and even in the event of a tornado people come in pretty fast. And if there was a house fire, there would be places to go where our 72 hour kits would be mostly useless. But lest you think I am trying to talk you out of creating a kit, I am not. I think it is incredibly important to be able to care for yourself  in an emergency. I don't have a bunker but I do have 2 back packs.

The first step to a 72 hour kit is portability. This is key. The idea is that every member of the family should have their own kit and be in charge of carrying their share. Obviously for small children, their stuff doesn't take up that much more room and a parent would shoulder that responsibility.

It's easy to search out an entire 72 hour kit check list in case you're so inclined but let me first tell you about some of the items I think are the most critical.

• A kit should have a change of clothes for every member of the family. Mark your calendar for every six months and rotate for seasons. I opt for pajamas. In most every scenario that I deem "likely" (fire, gas leak, evacuation of some sort, tornado) the most important thing to me would be comfort in where ever I wind up going. 
• Also a toiletry kit with the personal care items I prefer. Yes the government would give you certain things, but it's kind of like going to the nurse for a pad in middle school. It's not really that great and while it does the job you'd maybe rather have your own. 
• Important documents. I have a binder with copies of our driver's licenses', birth certificates, social security cards, check cards, marriage license, mortgage information, cash, important telephone numbers, emergency contact information, etc. I am even a worry wort enough to have a flash drive with some of the most important pictures and documents from our computers. I also update that every six months. 
• Stuff to do. I have books, a deck of cards, Skip Bo and figet items. I suspect I should add some stuff for C to do. 

The less important items for me is the "wilderness survival" stuff. It seems unlikely that a scenario where I have to live in a tent with no aid from anyone and no ability to travel to say, any relative's home, will occur. But it's recommended so I have all the stuff anyway. But I bought a kit off of amazon. Then added certain things as I saw fit. 

Each kit has enough food and water for a week. None of the food is very interesting-meal replacement bars, some freeze dried meals, canned goods. And Emergency water. I sacrificed taste for longevity. All the food in our kits is good until 2015. I also have Coast Guard approved emergency waters. And again, enough for a week. Just in case. 

We keep our kits in the front closet. I am actually really good about this. No matter how dirty the closet gets the 2 backpacks are always on top and ready for a grab and go situation. Or even grab them on the way to the basement in case of tornado. 

The difference between prepping your house vs. a 72 hour kit is the shelter. A 72 hour kit assumes evacuation or the inability to use your house as shelter. Soon I will write about how we have slightly prepped at home. (We would NEVER qualify for the show.) 

Bodies! The Theme of This Thursday

Oh that Theme Thursday Photo Link Up at Clan Donaldson. It just keeps you on your toes. Sometimes the themes are easy peasy. Boys. Mud. Etc.  Other times I have to really think about it. Animals? Bodies? 

Making me think two weeks in a row? Huh. Wow. But really. I'm looking forward to June. A whole month of easy peasy themes to give my May strained brain a break. 

So I give you my slightly edited cell phone picture of: 

Well Bodied Wines. 

"A 2003 Red Something. Oh I bet it's very oaky and corky and full of fruity legs." 

Gilmore Girls Season 7

You were probably expecting something more like this picture I didn't actually take. 

A statue by Paul Granlund. Fun fact, I went to high school with his granddaughter.

But yet. You are lucky enough to have clicked over here to my little blog world with awesome sauce pictures of wine bottles. And such terms like awesome sauce. 

Here's one more version for good measure. Just so you don't feel you've been ripped off. 

Okay. So. There you have it. If you've stuck it out this far, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your Thursday. May you find excellent bodies to take pictures of. Hopefully I haven't scared you off so much you won't stop back for self portraits next week. I've been practicing my duck face. (Just kidding.) 

Whiskers on Kittens

I am linking up my Five Favorites with Hallie. It's fun. 

1. Plumbing. I love it. I love indoor plumbing. I cannot imagine life without it and honestly I don't even want to try. Plumbing is why I don't camp. That and my distaste for nature. But mostly the no plumbing thing. Well come to think of it there are a lot of reasons I don't camp but suffice it to say I do love indoor plumbing!

2. UPS. I love it. There is really nothing like the anticipation of seeing the "Out for Delivery" notification. Now since the relocation to this dwelling my UPS delivery driver has changed. (Sad, I had a good relationship with Mike, my old guy.) And instead of coming at any normal time I am almost assured an after 3:00 PM delivery but... that's okay. I still love it and getting packages.

3. Amy Sherman-Palladino. She doesn't know who I am. But she is my soul mate and I adore her. I love Gilmore Girls. I love Bunheads. I don't know anyone who loves them with the intensity that I do. Or to the deepest devotion. I for one, am a purest, and would NOT like to see a Gilmore movie. I however would love to see a Bunheads renewal with a full season ordered. More than a fan of the actors, I love AS-P. And I would love to sit down with her and talk for an hour. About anything at all. Even if that would somehow shatter the image I would do it. I am slightly convinced she is the most like me person in the entertainment industry and possibly the universe. More than slightly actually.

4. Dole Pineapple. I feel like pineapple is one of the things that if you don't buy the brand you get a lower quality fruit. And we sure do go through the pineapple. I love it. C loves it. Husband... well if he doesn't love it sure tolerates it because we have it all.the.time. I thought we were out on Monday (we weren't) and I was not happy.

5. Everyone lamented the loss of Twinkies. Not one media outlet discussed the travesty that is the loss of the Donette. Which has been a road trip staple of mine for most of my life. Since I can remember road trips anyhow. None of the other brands are as tasty. It is a major loss.

Have a delightful Wednesday!

Different Parenting Styles and How I Keep My Head

Mommy Wars are the thing. Every blog. Every magazine. Facebook is full of it.

The judging. The "advice." The advice. The superiority complexes.

Breastfeeding or formula. Cloth or disposables. Organic or conventional. Make your own food or buy. Fabric softener or just a swish of vinegar. CIO/Babywise/Any other schedule/sleep training/who can keep track what the latest expert is saying. I mean even birth plans and birth experiences are debated and denounced. Vaccinate or not (or delayed!) Attachment parenting, baby wearing etc.

I could go on and on about best laid plans and glass houses but I don't really feel attacked. I don't feel superior either. I am certainly no expert. My response to people whose views I do not share is "I am happy that is working for you."

I can't even say I disagree with what I didn't do. Cloth diapering? I have zero interest for myself in it. If I could have negative zero interest that would be my interest. It's just not my thing. I don't think people who cloth diaper are crazy. I don't need a pro con list or any more insight on why one way is better because I just don't care. It's not my thing. But I am truly happy that is working for you. I just prefer a different route. (I still like knowing a lot about cloth diapering.)

We are doing what works for us. And that is really a mismatch of styles. But for all the new moms and old moms and any mom who feels like maybe they aren't keeping up with the Jones' I just gotta say "Do what works for you." You do not need to justify it to anyone if it works for you and keeps you just a little bit more sane. The end.

I know this isn't going to stop anyone from judging. How can you possibly turn off judgement? Even saying "I am happy that is working for you" is a judgement. It is a judgement that it's not worth my time to debate what we clearly don't agree on. I don't think you're a bad parent for doing what works for you!!

***I LOVE when people say "it's not for me to judge." It isn't. But it is a natural human process of the mind. What people should say, as far as I am concerned, is "it's not a place for my opinion."***

I am not trying to be condescending--I find that to be pointless. I know what's worked for me and for my little guy. That's it. So to all you moms who write posts about your parenting styles Kudos! I'm learning from you or at least gaining more knowledge. My mind is pretty made up but that doesn't mean I don't want to know what's going on in the other camp.

I am interested in your perspective and I am genuinely happy that's working for you. 

Animal House! Theme Thursday.

toga. Toga. TOGA. TOGA! Not appropriate? No? Okay.

I don't have any animals. Husband is allergic or I don't like them or both x any animal you can legally have as pet in my town. But boy. Do we know how to party over here.

Every night in a futile attempt for OCD sanity I try to clean. Sometimes that means I clean and organize the fort. And the toys in it. I, in my girly I-wish-I-still-had-a-doll-house-just-a-smidgen self take great care in setting up all The Little People. All is well on the farm. (And ark.)

Then the tornado hits and we're in Oz. Or C wakes up and plays. 

Farmer got a little Wicked Witch of the East action and the barn and ark are every which way. And Noah is just looking around like... huh. He's not an animal and I know like everyone has the ark set but seriously how cute is this little bald man? Love it.

So these are the animal house shenanigans in our house. Link up your own animals over at Cari's Barnyard of Fun. Okay. Maybe she doesn't have a barnyard. But she has chickens and that's kind of like a farm. Sort of. Anyway I bet most people have real animals that are cute and interesting to look at.

Random Update

Hey-O!

I haven't had just an update in a while. So here goes, probably not the most interesting. It is that time of year where it's getting hot but I don't want to turn on the air conditioner. Otherwise known as the laziest time of the year. I don't want to do anything that could make the house hot. So crock pot meals and trying not to run the dishwasher until it's FULL.

Mother's Day was great. Slept in, had breakfast in bed with flowers and a handmade card. Had my favorite dinner in the world, ham, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, rolls. Yes indeed. Pretty darn perfect. Plus I got to spend the day with my guys and there's nothing I like more than not really doing anything and having my guys around.

We are FAST approaching the big O-N-E. I can't even believe it. How has it been a year already?! He is pretty ho-hum about the ball pit. We gave it to him Saturday morning. He likes to take one or two balls out and carry them all over but actually getting into the balls... he has very little interest in. I admit, I was/am disappointed by this but hopefully he kind of grows into it right?! Or maybe not. At least it wasn't too expensive and it isn't his "big" gift so that makes it better too I think.  I miss his little baby self but he is more fun every day!

I am waiting until his birthday to get his hair cut but I am super looking forward to it. His hair is SO long on top that it always looks messy. And if the hair in back is just right it looks like a rat tail. Eew. I guess I have a new motto when it comes to guy grooming. It always had been "Short fingernails and clean ears" but I think I am adding neat hair to that. (It doesn't have to be short hair, just purposeful.)

Men with long fingernails. Oh my gosh it's just one of those things that stops me dead in my tracks and freaks me out. My mind is always racing. "Does he know that I am looking at his fingernails? Does he need a finger nail clippers? I have one. Why are his nails so long? Doesn't he realize? Do they serve a purpose? Am I starring? Do these people know that I am internally freaking out?" Totally weird I guess but I just can't get over it.

I live under a rock. I had NO idea that this latest movie was the THIRD Iron Man. I must be completely over the super hero movies because I haven't seen a single one since the X-Men ones. Actually come to think of it I don't know that I have seen any except the X-Men movies. I suppose I saw some of the Batman ones on DVD. But I didn't get it. And there's a lot of movies based on comic books. Not my genre clearly. I am not a big risk taker with movies though. I like, movies with smart comedy that end happy. I occasionally enjoy movies with silly comedy that end happy. Genres I will watch but not really enjoy include: movies with physical comedy that end happy and dramas that end happy. I don't watch action movies, scary movies or any movie where I am almost assured a main character dies. Too stressful.

Anyway, that's a quick trail mix version of what's going through my head this morning. Enjoy your hump day!

Theme Thursday: Mom

Mom. There are just so many possibilities. I mean obviously I could do a picture of my mom but my mom is most often the photographer and there are very few pictures of her in general and even less if you count out the ones she hates. (Hi Whome.)

I call my mom Whome. It's a long story. Well no it's not but you probably won't get it. I like Hanson. Like the band of brothers. (Musical not military.) They have this song. It's like my favorite song in the world. "Crazy Beautiful." The very first word sung is "Liquid." Only my mom thinks it sounds like "Mewho." And I called her Mewho for a while but my dad didn't like it so I switched it around to Whome. And there you go. That right there perfectly describes my mother and I.

If you really want something that represents my mom, Qualdzy is a good example. But I don't have a great picture of Qualdzy so that gem will have to wait.

So... I think I will go with...

One of the very first pictures of me as a mom taken by my mom. I am so glad she was the other person with me in the delivery area and that she got to meet C immediately. 

It's weird, this is the first time that this weekend means me. Last year he hadn't quite shown up yet and I definitely didn't celebrate or anything because I was the size of a small country. Anyway... fun week of Moms. Link up over at Clan Donaldson. 

Raindrops on Roses. (Not Really--5 Other Things.)

Hopping on the train to bring you my 5 favorite things (for now) Thanks to Grace for hosting since Hallie is off gallivanting and enjoying life. I actually think Grace is gallivanting too but apparently hosting from afar. 

1. Nuby cups. Since the big birthday is coming up the cord is being cut with bottles. But alas C has no interest in hard spout sippy cups. The nuby cups are perfect. And since we bought a 4 pack at Sam's Club for $5 I will say the price was right! I'll probably buy another pack just so I'm not washing cups every ten minutes but I am glad these ones work! 

2. Ball pits. I love them. It has been my life's ambition to have a giant ball pit in my home since I was younger. Now I am a long way off from that but I did get a small tiny ball pit for Cs birthday with 125 balls and I am SO excited. In fact I'm letting him get it this weekend since I can't wait. Dreams are becoming reality. 

3. My Macaroni and Cheese Pot. This pot is magic. It deserves an entire blog post. But suffice it to say, I have had it forever and it is the only remaining piece of the set that I think of when I think of my parent's pots and pans. Which is dumb since I've had it a million years. (Like 7) And they're on like their fifth set since then or something. I love this pot. And while I do make other things besides boxed mac and cheese in it, I flat out refuse to make mac and cheese in anything but. 

4. Robert Francis Weatherbee by Muro Leaf. This is not a picture of my copy. But oh my gosh it is just the best book ever. Humor. Simplicity. Parenting philosophy. Okay not really on the last one, but sort of all at the same time. If you are lucky enough to stumble upon a copy of it... buy it! 

5. Story of my life. I am absolutely the person who laughs at completely inapropriate times. Funerals especially. I luck out that I laugh silently. And shake. And as long as I have Kleenex I can pretend I am just really upset. But yep. I am that person. Always. Husband is a BIG fan. Not really. 

Friday Quick Takes: 3

1. So...  this morning it's cold and rainy. Which is better than cold and snowy so I'll take it and don't think I'm complaining Mother Nature! So as I turned on the heat, because it wasn't that cold last night, I decided it would be a good morning for scrambled eggs for breakfast.

2. C apparently took the "you're almost a big boy" convo from last night to heart because he had his first finicky "I don't want to eat this even though I like it and would have eaten it yesterday" meal. Luckily I didn't make too much.

3. It's possible C is having an Alexander day. (Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad.) He bumped his head pretty good just a minute ago. Now the poor baby just wants to snuggle. He decided that he didn't want to be a big boy yet I guess. Which is just fine with me.

4. I watch The Today Show. I didn't start watching The Today Show until after the whole mess with Matt Lauer and Ann Curry. I have no idea what went down. All I know is that all this business of them trying to make Matt more relateable--the Matt dancing thing... nobody cares. It's true.

5. I'm not really a sports person but I've been trying for about a year or so to watch different sports when they're on television in case I'm missing something. So far I can safely say I care not for: NASCAR, golf, MMA fighting, basketball, soccer. I am neither here nor there for pretty much everything else. Except for...

6. Horse Races! Last year in my uber pregnant stage I watched both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Then when I had a teeny tiny C we watched the Belmont Stakes because I was invested. So here we are at the Kentucky Derby weekend again and I am very excited. It's really really fun. It's horses, and dress up and a sport all in one! And the sport part takes a total of 2 minutes. I really enjoy it. So get your seersucker and your hats ready to go!

7. Going back a minute, The Today Show is ridiculous but all this Psy music has in fact cheered up my little bad day boy.

Have a great Friday! And a stellar weekend!

Theme Thursday: Play

Another Thursday. This picture is brought to you by the word play.

This was taken over the weekend.

Nothing is more fun than a stick to a baby. They tell you when you're about to become a parent that they'll make their own toys. People say it all the time. Now if only I'd listened. Either way, this stick and others provided a healthy dose of fun. And fiber when he tried to eat it...

Okay. So head on over and visit Cari, link up your pictures of play and gear up for Mom next week. SO many options with that one!

May Day

I cannot believe it is already May.

Such a busy month: May Day, my parent's anniversary, FIL's birthday, Mother's Day, my grandma's birthday, C's birthday, my brother's birthday, Memorial Day, then my dad's birthday. 

Plus the normal things and a few extra things too. It's a good thing I love it. 

Today Husband got me a May basket with daisies, a Crunch bar (my latest groove) and a box of cereal bars for C. It was a fun treat! 

Here's to a glorious May!!