Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Dear Neighbors

Dear butthead neighbors across the street,

For four years, your fireworks antics have been the bane of my existence during the 4th of July week. I try to ignore it. I try not to let it bother me. But I have to tell you, you are big time buttheads. Actually I usually use stronger language for you, but I'm trying to hold it together here.

Fourth of July is NOT about being inconsiderate to your neighbors. It's NOT about setting stuff off the entire week before the 4th. It's NOT about waking up the neighborhood little kids who actually go to bed before 9p.m. It's NOT about being inconsiderate of the fact that some people have to be at work at 5a.m.

Why you find it acceptable or entertaining to piss off nearly everyone on your block, I do not know. Why you can't teach your kids how to respect others, be considerate, and how there is a proper time and place for even fireworks, I do not know. You had one neighbor yell at you on Monday night. You had another neighbor yell at you last night. And yet, here it is, Wednesday night, and I have a feeling that there is going to be more inconsiderate behavior tonight.

Oh...there it goes. It's not even July yet. You are rude buttheads. I wish you would move away.

Someday, neighbors, the tides will turn. Just you wait.

Signed,

The pissed off people across the street.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Recent Highlights and a few low-lights

It's been about a week since my last post and I'm not really sure why. I guess we have been busy, and I'm in a bit of a rut?! Here are a few highlights from the past week.

1. Family reunion in Kansas City!! On Saturday we got together with my mom's side of the family for the day. I don't get to see these people nearly often enough and it was so great to spend the day relaxing with them, watching the new generation of cousins playing together, etc.

2. Surprising Brooke with a stay at Great Wolf Lodge on Sunday night! Everyone (read: Hannah) was extremely pooped out from lack of naps and not going to bed good the night before, so it was a little dicey, but we had fun!

3. Seeing Brooke hit a new level of bravery....she is our chicken....and for the first time this week she went up in the "house" at GWL AND went down the slides that come off of it--by herself! AND...AND.... she let the big bucket at the water-feature thingy at the Y dump on her for the first time! She survived to tell both stories and giggled all the way.

4. We went to Nebraska Furniture Mart on Sunday and looked at some furniture. We really need a lot of new furniture.... and we ended up going back on Monday to get a new bedroom set for Brooke, and Finally...Finally...finally a new dining set for the breakfast nook! If Matt didn't have plans to put the corner-bench set we have there now in the basement, I swear I'd torch the dang thing. It's really a great set (though the table has been beat to heck), but I am soooooo tired of the benches at meals, etc. It will make a much better unit as a game or snack table in the basement.

5. I discovered that Dillons has HAM SALAD. In the deli section-- where you get the already made up sandwiches, etc. I grew up in Iowa where they have Hy-Vee-- (the greatest grocery store ever)--and they have fabulous HAM SALAD. Never found it here before. Not quite as good as Hy-Vee's but yummy nonetheless. I just told Matt about this and I swear I quivered with excitement. It's seriously the little things. If we ever get Anderson Erickson dairy down here where I can buy Party Dip, I won't be able to contain myself! :)

6. After years of wanting to get it, I finally purchased Photoshop Elements. It's going to take me eons to figure out all it can do, and for the life of me I haven't had the time in the last 2 days to do much of anything, but I am so excited to play with some pictures and see what I can do with them. I hope I can find a "Photoshop Elements for Dummies" book!!!

The lowlights.... I have some serious zits going on. Seriously I did not have this trouble with my complexion when I was a teenager! It sucks!!!.... I have gone solo to cake class the last two weeks b/c my partner in crime Kacy has been unable to go...her gma is about to pass on and she's been with her a ton. It sucks on several levels!!!.... I feel disconnected from some friends that I just adore. I never really know what to do in that situation so right now I'm just going to tell myself that life is crazy, and that whenever we get around to chatting or seeing each other again we'll surely pick right back up...Right? Isn't that way true friendship works?!.....

But I hate to end this on a low note, so the other three highlights of the week include:

7. My cousin Nick and his wife are expecting a baby!!! A CHRISTMAS baby! YIPPEEEE!

8. Matt, Dustin, Kacy and I went to see Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw last Friday! It was great, and Tim McGraw is hot. lol.

9. I discovered on the Arena's website that there is a Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show that is coming to town in November. Being the Christmas nuts we are, I can tell ya, we are soooo going! I was excited to see it!

10. The final highlight.... Life is good. God is good. Watermelon is good. My girls are good. My husband is good. Air conditioning is good. Movies are good. Sleep is good. It's all good.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Tiny Dancer

I wanted to update the blog, but I'm temporarily distracted by an aching back, bills, and goopy contacts, so inspiration is running a little low.

I decided to stick the flash drive into the new computer and pull up pictures from two years ago today. We'll call it "Wednesday Flashback."
I picked two years ago because that's as far back as this particular flash drive goes.
Brooke spent the fall of 2007 and spring of 2008 taking pre-dance once a week at the Y. She was 3 / 4 years old. It wasn't a great time for listening for her so I doubt she learned as much as she could have...but she was exuberant and embraced nearly everything with enthusiasm. She's still pretty much that way.
That was the year that I was pregnant with Hannah. Every Tuesday I'd take Brooke up to the Y for class, and sit out in the waiting area chit chatting with other moms. I had Hannah that February, so one week (right after she was born) Matt even got to go chit chat with the other moms. (He didn't like it as much as me).

Anyways, two years ago in June 2008 she participated in her one (and so far- ONLY) dance recital. By the end of that year, I was tired of going weekly, and she was really tired of wearing tights. REALLY tired of tights. It had become a serious battle.
But it was all worth it to get pictures like these (in her $35 recital costume!):

Monday, June 7, 2010

If I won the lottery...

What would you buy if you won the lottery?

Besides the "normal things" like a house, or "pay off my family's houses," etc...what things do you wish you had the money for now would you get? Big or small?

Besides liposuction, a personal trainer, and a personal chef?

When I was a kid...early high school I think...my parents were in Amway. I think they called it Network Marketing then. It's had a lot of names. But it was Amway. One weekend their "upline" hosted a "dream weekend" in Omaha. One of the activities was to go shopping (window shopping) for all the things you would buy when you made big bucks. I remember picking out a gorgeous emerald green prom dress that I would choose if I could have spent several hundred dollars. I remember being at the Cadillac dealership, looking at cars with my parents. Somehow I made the alarm go off on one of them, and salesmen came out of the woodwork to see what was going on!

Here's my short list of things I'd buy if money was no object, again...the dream stuff...not the obvious stuff.
1. All new furniture for the house...except for our bedroom. I already love our bedroom furniture.
2. Replace all the carpeting upstairs.
3. More points at DVC. Duh
4. A dog. Duh. And I'd hand over a big chunk of money to Matt to pay for all future vet bills and boarding fees he seems to think would be an issue.
5. I'd fly in some fresh fish from somewhere. Can you say Alaskan King Crab? Yummo.
6. LASIK Eye surgery
7. If I had money at my disposal, I'd have a plane at my disposal too. So I could jet to the beach, WDW, or Iowa whenever I wanted. Perhaps I'd even go some other places too! And I wouldn't worry about crabby children on the airplane, because there wouldn't be anyone else on it.
8. Diamond earrings. Shouldn't every girl have a pair of diamond earrings? So far, this girl does not!
9. I'd get digital cable/DVR in every room in the house. So I wouldn't have to decide which of my two shows on Tuesday night I am NOT going to DVR so that Matt can DVR one. He'd have his very own DVR.
10. I'd get a digital SLR camera. I really really want one. With a macro lens, and some other kind of lens I can't remember the name of.
11. Can I buy a date with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, or Mark Wahlberg, or Bradley Cooper? Matt can come along. He can bring along Eva Longoria. Haha
12. I love to read. Love it love it love it. I am currently on a kick for books that are a good combo of smutty romance/intrigue. I can download books on the Barnes/Noble app on my iphone and read on it. It's great. I'd buy myself a great big $$ credit at BN.com for all my reading needs. Then I'd buy my BFF Debbi a Kindle or a Nook so she could be cool and download books like me.
13. I'm not totally selfish. I said "the dream stuff." Yes I'd help each family member out and a few select friends. I think I'd help a few select strangers. How fun would it be to randomly hand $100 bills to complete strangers, just because? If I had the money for that, I'd so do it. Really I would. Giving makes me happy. (But yes, so does getting!).

The list could go on and on and on. But don't you ever just sit there and dream about things you could do? People you could help? Places you could go?

For now... I'll have to settle for maybe buying carryout for dinner. Not in the budget, but I might just do it anyways!

(PS we just got a new computer and I have no pictures on it yet, thus the reason for this not too visually appealing post!).

Friday, June 4, 2010

Abbe's store

I'd like to officially introduce you to my friend Abbe.

she is a sweetheart. Probably the nicest person I know, I can't say enough wonderful things about her.


She is very creative and crafty. I always come home from her house wanting to do something to mine. (Matt loves that! not!).

If you go to her blog, you'll read about her crazy life with three small kids, their quest to become debt free, and about some brutally honest moments being a mom.

They are working very hard to become debt free. I know some days she'd rather stay in bed with the blankets over her head, plugging her ears and saying "I can't hear you (children!), I can't see you (bills!)...but this girl is a trooper and a half.

Have I mentioned she's a total sweetheart?! Some days I don't think I'm half as nice as she is...!

To aid in their quest to become debt free, and to just help things in life in general, she's turned her craftiness into a cute online store. She's made some very cute things for you to purchase, for babies, big kids, and your home. Check out the book slings! I love those!! (You can see a pic of the one hanging in Brooke's room, it's so cute!). There's lots of goodies to buy. Check it out. I think if you click this below, you can get there:

alldolledupstore


Don't go buy some random gift somewhere, buy a gift from a sweet soul who has made something precious with loving hands.

Go check out the store. You'll be glad you did. PLEASE pass the word on, let's overwhelm her with success! :)

And Abs.... Good luck girlfriend! OXOXOX

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Staring Down Summer

Now that the three day weekend with daddy home is over, it's time to officially "stare down summer." I'm all about arming myself with plans, activities, and tricks up my sleeve.

After spending the entire school year hanging with just my little one, it's time to get the game face back on and get used to being full-time mommy to both girls at the same time.

It's going to take some good ammo, ya know? Oh right, I'm the only mom who has to go into each day with a plan of attack so no one goes nuts, is that right? hm. Well, here is some of my ammo....

Besides the usual things like swimming lessons and Mom's Day Out, one thing that I've tried to do with Brooke the past few summers and will definately do on a big scale this summer is learning activities. I'm breaking out the worksheets. I'm breaking out the flash cards, crayons, notebooks, pencils. I've been AMAZED by how much she has learned this past year in kindergarten, and I don't want her brain to go to mush and lose a bunch of it over the summer.

Lucky for me, she's on board with this plan. Last night as she was going to bed she asked me to have a math worksheet ready for her when she got up. (I did, and she aced it. Way to go!) . Her teacher sent home a fun little calendar with one simple thing to do each day on it. Today it was "make a sandwich and cut it in half" so Brooke made lunch for her and Hannah.

We're going to participate in the summer reading program at the library. Some days, after she reads a story, I'm going to have her write three sentences telling about it.

Our learning goals are: drawing better people and animals, tying shoes, and maybe just maybe getting rid of training wheels.

I'm hoping to teach Hannah a few of her colors, and mmmm potty train her! (Lord help me!).

Brooke took a daily nap/rest time up until she went to kindergarten. Even on weekends this past year she has done that. I know if I make her actually rest/nap every day, then our bedtimes are going to be rough. So our Mom's Day Out days will be official "rest/nap" days, and probably on the weekends, but the other days we are doing "FOB" time. From back in the days of church camp, it will be "Fanny On Bed" time. We will still stick a movie in for her in her room, but some days she will get to have her DS in there too, or some activity books, or art stuff, etc. I told her it is Mommy's Choice on what her option is on which days. I'm calling this a nap time promotion, we'll see if she can hang with it!

All work and no play makes for a crabby kid....so we will swim, play in the sprinkler, have movie times in the basement, cook, and do other activities. Playdates with friends are always high on the must-do list, days at grandma's house, and other outings are on the books.

I'm going to make a big tub of that colored rice for them to play with on rainy days. Although I'm sure it will be a mess.... I've got a dyson. More ammo. ;)

What are your plans for the summer? What are you arming yourself with to battle boredom or craziness?