Let Me Bore You With My Thoughts on Toothpaste

Once upon a time when we went to Florida in April our hotel had Aquafresh Toothpaste. It was even in the room description which was nice because I knew I wouldn't have to pack toothpaste. I'm going to say, it didn't make that much of an impact on me at the time.

But when C and I were kicking it with my parentals last week, they had the Aquafresh and I was really grooving on how clean my mouth felt. Like really clean. And it was lasting a lot longer than my Crest Pro-Health cleanliness feeling.

As fate would have it, we were practically out of toothpaste, which is odd because I buy the toothpaste at Sam's Club so there is usually ample supply. But we were low. And my mom gave me her extra tube because she got a 2 pack. (Maybe they had a coupon? I don't know.)

What I do know, is that Husband is also grooving on the cleanliness of his mouth too. I enjoy saying Aquafresh because it's just a fun word all around. The orange stripe is interesting and something I wasn't expecting because orange toothpaste that still tastes like mint? Plus  it was free ninety nine so that's pretty great too. What I'm saying is I am happy with my toothpaste.

I know the world is all "let's make our own natural toothpaste or just do the oil pulling thing." And that's swell. Really. Enjoy that. I'll be over here with my Aquafresh.

This is totally reading like a sponsored post. Sorry. It really isn't. I just like the toothpaste.

*If the people at Aquafresh see this and feel like throwing something my way I'd take it.*

The Not Exciting Days

Sometimes the days run together. Okay, often times the days run together. Didn't I just do laundry? (Probably.) Has it been enough days since the last time we had Macaroni and Cheese? (Probably Not.) But these are the last few days of this normal.

47 days until the estimated due date. And goodness this baby is going to keep us on our toes. Between several different major players in the equation (Husband, my parents, the doula and someone to watch C while my parents are on the way.) there is no one time that would be particularly convenient for baby girl to show up. Like we get a choice. (Okay I know some people do get a choice for valid reason but none of the valid reasons apply to me at this time.)

Funny enough any and all days work for me. But I am not yet at that point where I just want to be "done." Sure I could live without the heartburn. And I wish that my back didn't hurt so much. But for the most part all of this has been pretty doable. We even got some girl specific clothes so... I mean that's pretty good.

It seems so bizarre that there are so few days left of being just a family of three. In some ways I feel completely unprepared, like we should be doing more. But really, I just feel like savoring the opportunity to do nothing specific. To read the books when C wants to read books. To play train table now while I can devote all time to just playing train table. To go grocery shopping and to Target with only one kid in tow.

To go do anything by myself because soon even that is going to be hard for a while.

So yes, the days seem remarkably similar most of the time. But that's just fine with me. I'll take it.

August Adventure #2

We are in a recovery day from our second August Adventure! And you guys, this was the big one. The highlight of our summer if you will. We went to the Indianapolis Zoo.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Um, a zoo. So what? In Indiana of all places."

But did you know that in the United States there are only 19 Walrus in captivity? And primarily in coastal places like Washington, California, New York, Texas and Florida? (Those in fact are the locations of the Walrus in the United States.) With the exception of Indianapolis.

And my boy loves walrus.

It is such a unique love he has for the walrus that is really complicated as a parent. The walrus is not what you would call popular. If he liked sharks or penguins or trains (he does, just not as much as walrus) that would be easy to find books, movies and merchandise.

He has a stuffed walrus that is very important for sleeping. In fact, when it is bedtime, a certain toddler yells up the stairs "Walrus, I need you!" It's pretty cute.

So anyway, in my walrus research it was determined that Indianapolis has two walrus, Pakak and Aurora. Pakak of YouTube fame. (He was rescued by the Alaska SeaLife Center and there is many a video available on him. Trust me.) And fun fact: Indianapolis is only 4.5 hours away from us.

So we went on a trip. We planned. We packed. We left on Saturday.

A monsoon tried to stop us from reaching our destination but we prevailed.

We checked into our hotel room which was nicer than anticipated and we headed off to the pool. The time zone change threw me off, I realistically knew that we'd switch time zones but it didn't really occur to me that time was different until we were at the hotel. The pool was very fun. Tick Tock Croc came with us to swim. I just supervised.

Because the monsoon caught up to us we decided not to go out for dinner. This was a good plan, as C had been very good in the car and we thought expecting him to be very good at a restaurant might be stretching it. So by ordering a local establishment's pizza (we love trying local pizzas) he was able to eat and stand and jump around to his heart's content.

Sleep time did not go as well as anticipated but we did all eventually get some sleep.

We woke up bright and early, ate our continental breakfast. I had a waffle coincidentally on what I would find out later was National Waffle Day and we packed up. Google took us through the ghetto. And the longest red life of my life. 4 minutes later, contemplating just going because we could have many many times it finally turned green, we made it out of ghetto and to the zoo!!

I had read that their brand new orangutan exhibit was very popular so we did that right away before the zoo got too crowded. It was a good choice on our part. C told each and every orangutan how they were "cute" and got a lot of face to face time with them.

I went to the other side of the exhibit to get this picture. I was standing with a lot of grumbling senior citizens about how the orangutans wouldn't come over to their identical window area. The zoo employee told them that they apparently love kids "the smaller the better." Ah well, my dude got a good long look and was very excited. 

Another part of the zoo that I really enjoyed was the dolphin show. I love dolphins. When the Minnesota Zoo still had dolphins I knew all their names, could identify them and their histories. I was not disappointed with the dolphins in Indianapolis. It was a beautiful dolphin arena. When we walked in with our tickets the song playing was "Mmmbop" which if you are a frequent visitor you know is my jam. The rest of the soundtrack in the arena pretty much came straight from my iPod. (Enya, Counting Crows, Hanson, Backstreet Boys, Colbie Caillat etc.)

Watching the Dolphin Show with Mom

The dolphin show.

We went to the "main event" 3 different times and these pictures represent the best of all 3 visits. The exhibit starts with the underground viewing area and moves up to the above ground view. When you first walk down the ramp there is a walrus art piece. This was almost as popular as the real walrus because C is pretty tactile and enjoyed touching and playing with it. 

We of course had him wear his walrus shirt to see the walrus.
It's his favorite shirt and he wears it at least once a week anyhow.

He kept saying "Oh Walrus!" 

Next to the art piece of fun are 4 windows to watch the walrus swim. We of course made no use of the 5 rows of stadium seating to watch we were right up in the windows every time. It was very very hot and humid yesterday and that was unfortunate. The viewing area of the exhibit was not climate controlled but obviously the walrus water was so the windows were very foggy and had a lot of condensation. It did not deter us from enjoying the swimming but it would have been nice to sit together and watch from the seats for a while. (which would have been hard yesterday)

We were the walrus champions of the zoo yesterday. Most groups came through, spent about 30 seconds and said something like "They're so big." Or "A Walrus." Parents would tell their toddlers "That's a walrus swimming." And then they'd move on. We spent a great deal of time with the walrus. Which was just fine by us since that is the reason we made the trek in the first place. 

The above ground area was nice too. It was very much a look down at the walrus view but C liked it too. We spent a lot of time up there as well. 

By the sign. I really wanted to get a picture of C, his walrus shirt and the walrus but it wasn't meant to be. 

Watching the walrus being trained and going splash with Mom. 

Playing with our small walrus and watching walrus. 

This shows kind of a good view of the whole exhibit and the walrus being trained.
Not the same visit to the exhibit as the other trainer up there. :) 

He had a blast. I mean, the tigers, giraffes, elephants and such were fun too. But not as great as the walrus. The one thing I will say negatively about the experience was that for having 2 of only 19 walrus in the country their walrus merchandise was lacking. They had, get this, the exact same plush walrus who was waiting in the car for us. (Though let's be honest, C would have had another one.) And a set of ocean animal figures that included a walrus. Those were the choices. As it happens, C is very much into animal figures right now so the pack of animals is a huge hit, but I was hoping for a shirt or something. Oh well. 

After a fun filled 5.5 hours at the zoo in which we accomplished everything except the splash pad. (We offered, he opted to go to the walrus instead.) And we decided that it was hot and crowded and we had a decent drive ahead of us. So we headed out to our car and started the journey home. 

We are happy C is happy and thrilled we were able to swing seeing a walrus even though we don't live on the coast. We're very lucky! I was thrilled to have even a mini-vacation with no obligations to anyone but my guys. We had a very good time and have spent all day playing walrus and with our new sea animals. Pretty great stuff! 

AMT: The Last One (Unless Kendra Changes Her Mind Which Is Fine By Me)

We are back from August Adventure #2! And I log on and lo and behold Kendra is calling it quits with the internet's favorite cocktail party. Do you think if she decided it wasn't the favorite cocktail party but merely a cocktail party on the internet she'd keep going? 

Well anyway, just in case. Here are my last answers. 

Linking with Kendra. Happy Sunday!

1. What is your favorite picture book?

My love for Mo Willems well documented. Just search the blog. My favorite picture book to read to C is The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. Not only is it well memorized by my 2 year old but it also, I believe started his love for walrus. 

My favorite book to read, like to read to me is Robert Francis Weatherbee by Munro Leaf. In fact I just read it to confirm that it deserves the word favorite. It does. 

2. Are you a boycotter?

Well I won't donate to United Way but I don't tell other people what to do. I just think it's a scam. Why on Earth should I give money to a company so they can distribute it to other charitable places? I know you can direct your funds but why not skip the middle man? My best friend got me a United Way shirt for my birthday once. I laughed. I wear it for pajamas. 

As far as companies go... nah, life is too short to worry all the time. 

Well I do also hate Apple products and won't buy any. (We have iPods but only old ones.) But again, I don't tell you not to buy them. I just refuse.I don't understand dropping $1000 for a computer, I for sure am not Apple Product minded. Apparently, they're easier and more user friendly. Except I can't do a darn thing on them. Whatever. I also find it suspicious you can't change a battery in an iPod/iPhone. They're forcing you to buy a new one when the only thing wrong is the battery is old. Overpriced and complicated. That's Apple for me. But again, go ahead and have your Apple products. I so don't care what you do. 

3. How do you feel about cheese?

Well I like real cheese. And even processed American Cheese. But cheese food and I have major issues. 

4. How many pairs of sunglasses do you own?

That I can find? 1. They were $10 at a gas station. I bought them because I was road tripping home from Minnesota and could not see. So I bought some.

5. How long has it been since you went to the dentist?

I have to go again in December. I don't like to talk about it. I loathe dentists with a passion. Like I really really do. It's not even fear, just crazy vast amounts of dislike. Borderline hate. I also think it's crazy someone would opt to go to school for a long long time to look in people's mouths all day long. And then be hated or feared for it. 

6. If you could visit any religious site in the world, where would you go? 

The Vatican. 

7 Quick Takes: Things On My Mind

1. Beyonce and Jay-Z

Are they getting a divorce? Are they on the rocks? Who CARES?! You know when we'll know? When one of them files for divorce. Until then the speculation is pointless and a little insulting to both their marriage and our brain cells. Celebrity gossip is great, I am a fan. But this is just trying to make a story out of nothing. Again, when someone files for divorce report on it all you want but good grief, LET IT GO for now. 

2. Jill (Duggar) and Derick Dillard

I have never been shy about my love for the Duggars. I eagerly anticipate this new season (which I will binge watch at Christmas at my parent's house) and seeing the wedding. I am not surprised or shocked by the latest headlines that Jill is expecting. I am again not surprised but in disagreement with the headlines that read "Why '19 Kids and Counting's' Jill Duggar Dillard Doesn't Mind Getting Pregnant Days After Marriage." 

You'd think she was the first person to ever have a honeymoon baby. Why is it bad for this married couple to get pregnant but Jessica Simpson having 2 kids while engaged is celebrated? Gosh our world is messed up. And seriously news outlet, did you expect different news from the Duggar offspring as they wed? Get real. 

3. Sleep 

I love sleep. And I am getting into that not so fun point where laying in one position for too long is uncomfortable but moving is hard and also uncomfortable. Ah well. Nearly 33 weeks. That's nuts. 

4. IKEA

In related news, my brother and I went to IKEA on Wednesday to procure a dresser for Baby Girl. We went pretty quick after they opened for the day and truly we had a rock star parking spot. Fairly close but not too close and right next to a cart return. 

I will say though, that sometimes Minnesota nice in IKEA is annoying. Like when an entire group of people gets stuck behind a couple of moseying  people with their kids in carts. (I have not yet dared bring C with my to IKEA even though I love going to IKEA but certainly the day is coming.) I don't care that they brought the whole family. I hope they had fun. I do care that a tortoise would have gotten through the section a heck of a lot faster. And that a group was bunching up behind them because we were all being nice and polite and letting them get away with it. 

Ain't nobody got time for that. So the pregnant lady and her brother walked between the entertainment centers and bypassed them all together. My main point here is it is possible to be too nice. Even in Minnesota. 

5. I Discovered Crack 

There is a chocolate shop in my hometown. And they make crack. In this case, crack is orange flavored dark chocolate covered pecans. Here's what you need to know: I LOVE orange flavored chocolate. I am positive I've explained my love for Terry's Chocolate Oranges. 

You also need to know that I don't even like Dark Chocolate. But I love these. I also love pecans. These things are seriously crack. And I couldn't stop eating them. I tried. 

6. Ice Bucket Challenge

This is not about the moral aspects of it. Really. I just don't get why watching someone dump ice water on their head is fun? I was bored when it was still just The Today Show peeps. 

7. August Adventure #2 

This weekend is our mini-vacation and our second August Adventure! Stay tuned for a post on Monday! I promise it'll be a good one! 

Happy Friday Everyone! Enjoy your weekend!

Theme Thursday: Google Image Search

C and I are back from our first August Adventure and we have about 36 hours to do some laundry (not a whole lot, just a little) rest up and head out for our second August Adventure!

The Theme of the day is Google Image Search. Yep. It's true. 

Google your name in the image search and post the first picture that comes up. 

Disappointing to you maybe. This is Lilly and Purcell. They are Ann Wood Birds and they were our cake topper for our wedding. And if you're wondering, I don't even like birds so how we came to have a bird themed wedding.. probably has to do with Lilly and Purcell here. 

My mom found them, we fell in love. All of our designs changed. And a theme was born. 

Anyway, back to the theme. I would screen shot it but there is literally not one picture of actual me. And while that sounds like it could be just random enough to be interesting... it's not even a little bit fun to look through, Kinda sad really. 

So... that's what I know about the theme this week. Happy Thursday. Stay tuned for an actual post from me in the nearish future. Maybe tomorrow even if I get my act together. No promises though. 

AMT: 9

C and I are off on an adventure with little to no time to blog. But lest I sit in silence for the foreseeable future I am going to pop in with a Answer Me This post because... okay. 

1. What is your favorite room in the house?

I am totally and completely recycling pictures here. Sorrynotsorry.

All things considered, our 3 season porch. I love how we decorated it.
I love the natural light.
I love the breeze.
I love we have a place to ditch shoes/groceries/packages etc without actually coming into the house but still being in the house.

I do not love my next door neighbor who sits in a chair in his backyard even with my porch and talks on speaker phone all the time. He drastically drastically reduces the time we spend out there in the evenings.

I love that we have a dutch door from the porch to the kitchen. It makes it like a really nice play pen for when you're cooking or cleaning etc. 

2. Do you subscribe to any magazines or other periodicals?

Um. Sort've. We get: Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated, Inc., Golf Something or another and People. But we never signed up for them and we don't pay for them. I promise. I have scoured our bank accounts to double, triple check because while I do actually like People and Inc. the others go directly to recycle and are a waste on us.

My mom got me a subscription to Parents and C has Highlights High Five (he just switched over from Highlights Hello) also paid for by my parents. I like it when I get Family Fun too.

3. How do you feel about the sign of peace in Mass? Enriching? Awkward? Overdone? Just right? Some combination of the above?

I've never, ever thought about it negatively. Ever. So, I guess just right?

4. What is your least favorite sound?

Anything when I am in that precious spot of sleeping but not deeply. I have a very harsh "ssh" and I use it. 

5. What was your favorite TV show (or shows) growing up?

Um... I love television. And I have an strong memory. So I have lines and plots and storylines and characters that are very very clear in my head. But if you were to say which television show was my favorite I would have to say 3 shows. 

I really like Growing Pains. I am SO SAD I can only get seasons 1-3 on DVD. Husband is horrified/not shocked/impressed that I know the lines with the exact inflections even after all this time. I like it because it was wholesome without being ridiculous *Cough 7th Heaven* (Which I also watched and can quote.) 

Forever and ever amen I will love A Baby Story on TLC. I LOVED summers and school vacations so I could watch. I have been watching A Baby Story for SO SO long. Like since 7th grade or something. I even have favorite episodes. (Also I have a favorite episode of A Wedding Story which should for sure come back.) When I made it to college I never had a 10:00 AM class, because I could PLAN that and I wouldn't miss A Baby Story. It is probably because of this that birth has never, ever been scary to me. 

And High School/College was devoted to Gilmore Girls. And I maintain I did a lot of growing up with Lorelai and Rory so... I am counting it. 

6. What are your favorite TV shows now?

I still watch Gilmore Girls a lot. A lot. 

Shows that are on the air still: The Good Wife (September 21!) and Grey's Anatomy (September 25!) I also LOVE The Big Bang Theory. I would also watch 19 Kids and Counting (I have also been watching them forever, I might just really love TLC) but I don't have satellite. But I record it at my parent's house and binge watch when I am there.