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Sometimes Chuck has me pick up a soda for him while I'm out and about. Every time I go through the drive-thru and buy one, I feel the need to explain that the soda isn't for me. Tell the employee that I'm not the one addicted to caffeine. Really. I promise. It makes me feel sort of dirty to hold it. But when I steal sips (a la my mom), I forget that I feel dirty and feel rather refreshed. Go figure.
How horrible is it that I let Bruno eat his own puke so I don't have to clean it? Pretty bad, I know.
Apparently Ollie does this multiple times during the day. Since he's sometimes successful in getting in, he keeps at it.
Chuck took Rhett out for "Rhett Day" last Friday. They went to the zoo. Thursday night (of course it's the night before) I decide Rhett needs zoo-appropriate shorts. I made these.
Then, if it makes you feel better, Friday night I tried to copy some other shorts of his so I could make another pair, but they turned out horribly. What a waste of half a yard of seersucker. Unfortunately (fortunately?) there is no photographic evidence of that debacle.
I just noticed that I still have a winter cross-stitch on my walls. (And no comments on cross stitch in general. I still like this particular one, okay?) I guess I just leave it up now, right? I mean, why put it away when I'm going to have to get it back out in a couple of months.
My name was randomly selected for our weekly Relief Society bulletin (you know, the one that I put together). I wonder whatever will I write about me? I mean, I'm just not one to talk about myself.
Does sarcasm come through the written word very well? I'm currently researching it.
We leave for Utah today. In fact, it's possible that the very second you read this I'm in the air above Nebraska or Wyoming. Look for our weekly update tomorrow so you know where we'll be during the week and you can come play with us (if you're in Utah). Or, if you're not in Utah and what we're doing sounds awesome, then feel free to come on out.
Remember this contest? Weird contest, I know. But the winners, Purvi and Allen, got this as a prize for their daughter. Apparently she likes monkeys and red (among other things) so hopefully this will be enjoyed. This tutorial from Kerry at Kid Giddy was really well-done and the project came together quite easily...once I could find those tent poles.
I think it's off to a good start at making a little girl happy! (How cute is little Saha? Omy.)
The End.
When I moved from Virginia to Utah when I was 11, I was made fun of because of the way I said "cold." Apparently I dropped the "l" and it came out sounding more like a nasally "code."
After 12 years in Utah, I relearned how to say my l's and then I learned how to drop my t's (mou-un, anyone?). Also, are you aware that in Utah, the following two words are pronounced the same: SALE and CELL? (They're both pronounced CELL.) Weird, no? But now that I'm back on the East Coast, I'm reminded daily of the mid-Atlantic accent. I mean, I married a Marylander! I live with his ever-so-slight-but-yes-it's-there accent.
Back to the dropped l's. Tell me whether you pronounce them in the following words:
YOLK
PSALM
STALK
QUALMS
SALVE
These words came from a recent Jeopardy category titled "Silent 'L.'" I happen to pronounce THREE of those l's. What about you?
You know how sometimes blogs tend to paint really pretty pictures about people's lives? And then sometimes we feel like crap because unlike blog-life, we actually struggle with things and our kids aren't perfect (even though we are)? I think I'm pretty good about complaining to make sure you know that my life is far from perfect. But just in case you doubt, I present the following evidence.
I spend way too much time checking email/Pinterest/Google Reader when I should be playing on the floor with my boys. I wish I liked floor-play more, but I don't. So I find excuses to avoid it. Too bad that Rhett's old enough to start noticing.
When meal planning, I tend to feed my own wants and tastes rather than those of the other members of my family. Outwardly I say it's because I want them to expand their palettes, try something new, eat healthily...but really I'm just making food I like. Of course, should they actually request something, I'd (probably) do it.
I am selfish with my time. My boys go to bed at 7 every night. Even if staying up means they get to enjoy beautiful weather and fireflies, we still put them down. Why? Because I need time without them. And I don't like to spend these evening hours doing things for the family (like grocery shopping or chores). It's MY time, but I wish I wasn't so selfish with it.
I can be hypocritical in my marriage. I hate this one about me, but there it is. I expect way more from Chuck than he does from me. Things I wouldn't let him get away with (e.g., junk left on a bathroom counter), I do all the time without one word from Chuck. Yes, he probably doesn't even notice, but I do and I feel crappy about it every time. Just not crappy enough to fix it.
I have very little self-control when it comes to eating. This amazes me since I'm so good at making myself run, but I can't just eat one cookie. Or two. Or six. If it's my snickerdoodles, it's more like 10. It's really bad.
I lose my temper faster than I want with Rhett. "What, you don't want to go to the bathroom before bed and your brother is already asleep in your room and I know you're going to throw a fit because I won't let you have water and it's already past 7 and I'm done being a mom? What? That's right: I'm gonna throw you in my bed and shut the door. When you want to go to the bathroom, you may have your water bottle and book and go to bed." Yeah, this happens more than I care to admit. I will say that some nights, after we've both apologized to each other for our respective freakouts from that day, Rhett and I make deals that we will try harder the next day. I want to be better; I know Rhett wants to be better. But better is hard.
Oh this baby, who is quickly becoming not a baby. What a funny little dude.
He's finally got teeth three and four and is maybe getting teeth five and six...you know, only four months after the first two showed up. He's definitely standing and his balance is pretty good. We're trying to get him to walk, but he'd rather crawl. We're also trying to teach him how to go down stairs correctly and he's getting closer there too. He only wants to eat what we do, and gets mad if his dinner doesn't match ours. He knows what he wants and cries when he doesn't get it, or if it gets taken away (cough, cough, RHETT). He still takes two naps a day and wakes us up too early. He doesn't like reclining in things (car seat, strollers, arms) so I wonder if he'll be our little intense boy unlike Rhett who was always so laid back. And other than pulling books off the coffee table and then eating them, we still can't get him to sit still for a book. (Oh how I feel like a failure for this one.) He can wave and clap and is so proud of himself when he does either one. And although I know I'm not supposed to label my child as "shy," Ollie has a tendency to hide his face in our shoulders when strangers say hello to him. But then he quickly steals a glance at the greeter. He seems to prefer Chuck, which is great since right now, Rhett prefers me. And starting next week, no more formula! We got the go-ahead from the doctor to give him real milk and I couldn't be more excited. Down with bottles! Up with sippy cups!
He's a happy little guy and we love him! And he's 11 months! Hooray!
Playing with our new water table that Chuck made. We're hoping it cures Ollie of his addiction to Bruno's water bowl.
Yep, still putting everything into his mouth.
Rhett, oh Rhett. How I love this little four-year-old. I really really love this age, except when he's performing his plethora of daily breakdowns. For the most part, he is so expressive and happy and fun to be around. And now that he's not napping, we can do more "big" excursions. I love it. I love his wonder and excitement over the lamest things. It's so awesome.
A couple of weeks ago he went to Vacation Bible School. The first day, Chuck had to bribe him with a crown and dessert from Burger King. (Why Burger King? Who knows. We've NEVER taken him there.) But otherwise he did great. He was most excited for the crafts and his favorite song was "Stand Firm." It's at the same church where he'll go to preschool in the fall and so it's been fun to see him go. What a big kid. (This is a clip from his favorite song.)
He's still doing quiet time, but apparently Chuck's had a hard time getting him to stay there. The solution? Walkie-talkies, of course! That way, when he needs something, he doesn't have to come out of the room, he just radioes Chuck to talk to him. Since I work from home on Wednesdays, I get to hear some of these conversations. Oh this kid. So dang funny. Once he radioed to say, "[weird noise.]" Then, "Mom, do you know what that was? It was a dinosaur laughing." It's such a fun thing to talk to your child on a walkie talkie. I highly recommend it.
And the badges! Rhett's doing great. He makes his bed, puts away laundry, is starting to learn how to pump his legs while on the swings, makes phone calls (to me!), takes nature walks, etc. He earned his first badge on Sunday (the bedroom one), and he's completed a lot of the requirements for the others. The one we had/have the hardest time with? Teeth brushing. But when we tell him it's either brush your teeth OR eat only water, carrots, and cheese the next day (things that don't hurt the teeth too much if not brushed out), he quickly changes his mind.
I know I'm excited for him to go to preschool in the fall. But at the same time, I'm going to miss this little guy! His preschool is MWF, the exact days I'm home. So I'll only see him in the afternoons. But it's okay. I won't miss him too much to keep him home.
This was my favorite thing he said yesterday as I worked from home: "Oh no! All the dinosaurs are bitting [sic] the dust! Look how many are laying on the ground because they bit the dust." Love this boy.
Oh, this is one of his requirements: memorize one poem. He did one better by memorizing two poems. I won't tell you that I had to bribe him with ice cream at 9:00 a.m. to get him to repeat them for the video camera.
In case you don't speak upside-down-four-year-old, here are the translations:
"My beard grows to my toes.
I never wears no clothes.
I wraps my hair
Around my bare
And down the road I goes."
"A peanut sat on a railroad track,
its heart was all aflutter.
The 5:15 came rushing by...
Toot toot! Peanut butter."
Chuck says that he's doing great. He takes the boys out, weather-permitting, on the bike every day. (Well he did until it was in the 90s in the morning.) I'm really proud of him. For the most part, he gets done all the little things I leave on the "To Do" list daily. He's been getting out of the house with the boys and even tackled a couple of trips (and a couple of kids!) at BounceU. The boys are happy and healthy and Chuck is doing a great job as the stay-at-home dad. Once he even got asked what it's like to be a single dad! (He hurt his finger and hasn't been able to wear his wedding ring all the time.)
In non-parenting-Chuck updates, he's been working with some other people on creating an adventure-type computer game. It's the first time since college that he's done any real programming and he's really enjoyed it. In fact, he's even earned a few dollars! What a funny guy.
He's also looking forward to Utah and being away from the natural disasters and humidity. Here's hoping that Utah doesn't disappoint.
(I won't update you on his body as there's always something wrong with it and the post would be four lights years long.)
We're going to start this week of updates with me, since I am the oldest. First, some people have asked when I get to go on my shopping spree. You know, the shopping spree for which Chuck and I saved and saved so that I could replace my quickly-deteriorating clothes for ones that fit and aren't holey nor stained. This spree was only to happen once I got back to pre-Ollie weight.
However, as I got closer and closer to my goal (I'm two pounds away), I realized that my goal weight just wasn't going to cut it. Things that fit my body at 125 pounds (there, I said it) don't fit the same at 127. I have huge doubts that they'll fit at 125. Truth is, this pregnancy changed my body's shape much more so than Rhett's. Since most of the baby weight was all gained right at the belly, it remains at the belly. And since spot reducing is impossible, I'm stuck.
So what to do now? Well, I can't really amp up the exercising now. Maryland's summers are the WORST and I just don't get my regular running. However, it is my goal to lose about seven pounds while in Utah and hopefully that will make things fit better. It kills me that I have to go so much lower than I was, just to get that belly flatter. But so it is. So hopefully when I come back from Utah, I'll be able to roll around in lots of dollars and then use them for the new clothes. But no, I won't tell the people in the stores that I rolled around in the dollars I'm now handing them. Okay. Enough with the body.
I'm getting very VERY excited for Utah. I have a lot of fun activities for us and can't wait to see things I haven't seen in a long time (like Timpanogos Cave) or that I've never seen (the Homestead Crater). I plan on posting our weekly schedule each Sunday so if you'd like to join us on any of our outings, please do!
Work is fine. I really dislike having to work everyday. Blah.
I have a new church calling. In addition to doing the weekly Relief Society newsletter, I now get to do the sacrament meeting program as well. I like this calling.
Whoops. Not done talking about my body. My EYES. Right around Memorial Day, I had some problems with my eyes. I thought it was just that my contacts (that should be tossed after two weeks, but I'd been wearing longer than six weeks) were old. But when I go to see the doc, I'm told that my eyes are swollen, and very badly swollen at that. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with wearing contacts as long as I had been.) So she asked me to stay out of contacts and I haven't put them in since. I'm so done with glasses. In truth, it hasn't been as bad as I thought, but running in humidity with glasses is pretty bad. They just slide right down the nose. I have an appointment today and I'm hoping I'm given the okay to start wearing contacts again. I really want them for Utah.
That's all for me. Tomorrow's update: Chuck.
That's right! We got the power! Hallelujah! So what does one do when ones gets the power?
0. You yell and scream and shout in joyous strains!
1. You blast the air conditioner, of course. I mean, this is a no-brainer.
2. You turn on all the lights just because you can.
3. You run the dishwasher that has now started to smell really funky.
4. You wash the clothes. If Wednesdays are laundry days, you're getting really close to having no underwear.
5. You turn on the computer to make sure the internet works. You have to feel connected to the real world, right?!
6. You wash the towels that, in the humidity, have also started to stink.
7. You write a grocery list that includes all the perishables you want.
8. You re-clean the fridge because some of the freezer contents melted into it.
9. You sit in front of the air vent just to feel the cool.
10. You thank all your friends who were so kind and welcoming during this hot time. (This probably should have been number 2, but you were high on the cool.)
Good news! Nope, still no power. In spite of that, yesterday was actually a good day! Because places were opened and cool, Chuck had places to go with the boys. (Of course I was in a chilled office all day.) And we got some dry ice for the freezers so I don't think we'll lose things. And because we overstayed our welcome at a friend's house in the afternoon, I got good company and good dinner! Win win, right?! I still lost at Scrabble, however.
We have yet to see Pepco trucks in our neighborhood. I'm still thinking we're out for the long haul. We're in orange, but I really think that's because my neighbors have no way to report our outages!
Friday night Chuck and I were awakened by all the clicking noises of things losing power. It was at that moment when we heard the storm for the first time. Let's just say it was a tiny bit scary. We went upstairs to check it out and sat by the big window for a bit. Then we realized that it probably wasn't the safest thing to sit in front of a window with a big tree right there when the wind looked like it was going as fast as it was during the hurricane. It was bad. The lightning was like nothing I'd seen before: nonstop. Then we started getting nervous for the boys. We took them downstairs to finish the night's sleep.
We woke up to a pretty torn-up neighborhood. Within our 1.33-mile walk, we saw four places where trees (BIG trees, mind you) had fallen on power lines. Big branches were down everywhere. Even a couple of houses had trees on them. It was then that I knew we were in trouble.
So here we are, two-and-a-half days later, still without power. And here we are, two-and-a-half days later, facing temperatures in the upper-90s with high humidity. Let' s just say we're not at all comfortable. Of course, I "get" to go to work where the indoor temps are nearly zero, and I feel guilty about it the whole time. (I wonder if my friends' husbands feel the same?) But here's a peek into our power-less reality:
1. We found a radio and thankfully had batteries. But all they do is keep repeating outage numbers. That's not helpful, radio people.
2. Our landline phones died pretty quickly. Cell phones had limited reception the first day, but now we have no way to charge them.
3. Our upstairs was nearly 90 degrees last night, but leaving windows open all night reduced it to about 80.
4. Our basement has provided some relief and all of us have slept down there (of course Chuck and I sleep down there permanently). But during the day, it's just too dark to really play down there, unless you're playing with shadow puppets. But even then, you're afraid to use too much battery.
5. I had to toss everything from our fridge yesterday. Everything. I cried on the way to work today thinking about the stuff in the freezer. But I can't bear to look there yet.
6. The kids just don't seem to notice the indoor heat. They just play as if their parents aren't melting into the furniture.
7. Cooking is nearly impossible. Any ideas on foods to eat that don't require things from a fridge, freezer, or cooking on a stove or oven? We've about exhausted the dry cereal and peanut butter sandwiches.
8. Nights are really boring. We don't want to hang out upstairs, and because the boys are sleeping downstairs, we have to hide out in the bedroom. We've been playing some scrabble on the iPad, but that gets old, especially when I keep losing.
9. I can't get used to no power. I keep flipping switches everywhere I go.
10. The first day we found one grocery store that was open and a Subway for dinner. That helped.
11. Entertaining kids in a dark, hot place is not easy. Shadow puppets only work for so long. And at least for the first two days, nothing was open. So we can't seek relief at a mall or a pool or someone else's place because everywhere was out of power.
12. The roads are a mess. An absolute mess. Driving around on Saturday and to church on Sunday was quite treacherous.
13. Somehow the church had power. It was cold there. We should have attended all four wards just to relish in the air conditioning.
14. We're all just ornery. And even though I get to spend 8.5 hours in air conditioning while at work, just knowing I have to return to a house with no power, high heat, and no food nor way to cook it, is so depressing. We're all lethargic and just blah.
15. The worst is the reality that we might not get power until Friday. FRIDAY. One full week with record-setting high temperatures outside and no way to cool the house. It's miserable. We're miserable. (I just checked Pepco's site and they haven't even assessed my neighborhood yet. No crews are assigned. Seriously. 2.5 days later and nothing? Nothing? Ridiculous.)
Sorry to be such a downer, but there's really very little good in this. Maybe the only good thing to come of it is the generosity of others that was extended to us yesterday at church when we had many invites for dinner and offers for cool places. So after naps, we invaded one house for play time and another for dinner. It could be worse. But only just barely.
Oooh, because I'm so focused on the negative, I did forget the positive! Saturday night, as we're getting the boys ready for bed, I hear it: the little tinkle of Christmas music. That's right: the ICE CREAM MAN! Through some miracle, I grab my wallet with actual cash (when does that happen?!) and we all run outside, some of us barefoot. It was the best $5.50 ever spent on ice cream. Boy did we need it.
And because I can't upload my pictures, and no post should be picture-less (although I do that all the time), here's a picture of the outage map as of this morning.
P.S. In response to Emily's comment: Yes, it's easier now because things are opening. But for the first two days nothing was open and no one else had power (well, at least we didn't think so, but how could we know with no internet?!). We couldn't go to a mall or the pool and we're not allowed to cook in our churhc building. All good ideas, though! Today, Chuck took the boys to the bounce place and we'll invade chilly friends for dinner. Don't worry.
P.P.S. And to those Marylanders reading this in coolness, beware: we may invade your house next! But don't worry, if you'll let us, we'll bring pizza.
Remember how last week's Fathers' Day was such a bust? I was not happy with how it turned out and knew it must be repeated. On Sunday we tried again and it was much better. Chuck was laden with presents (that is, if you call Mike and Ike's and some new Tupperware "laden"). We put up the Fathers' Day banner. We even let him sleep in--until almost 7 a.m.! And he got a roast for dinner. Because I don't know anything about meat that comes in that size, he had to cook it, but that's actually for the best. He knows if it were left to me, it'd end up being "pesto roast" or something similar. After dinner was this yummy dessert (with raspberries!) on which we can all agree.
And because I'm working on another family memory book and I needed a family photo, I made everyone take pictures today. It took only about twenty five takes to get (1) Rhett not acting ridiculous, (2) Ollie looking at the silly bee hat camera, (3) Chuck's tie not askew, and (4) me remembering to take off my glasses and getting my hair just so. Anyway, this was the best we got. We're a little washed out, but that's okay. It'll work.
Oh, right. Am I supposed to write some sort of Fathers' Day tribute to my husband? Uh, yeah, so, how about, "Chuck--you have mad fathering skillz." Is that okay? I'm not very good at this type of thing.
And to my own father, "Thanks for letting us stay in your house and ruin 'antique' your beautiful things. Keep up the good work, Elder!"
And to those of you who doubt, the Tupperware was actually a very well-received gift, thank-you-very-much. Chuck detested (rightfully so) our old stuff and after finding out it's pretty cheap, well, a Fathers' Day present we have.
Our ward is having a Super Saturday in a couple of weeks. Instead of doing craft projects, they're having sessions where we get to learn things. Cool! I was asked to give a 25-minute lesson on family finances. Providing people sign up to take the mini-class, I will actually have to go through with this. I'm going to need something to say.
The hard thing about this is that I feel family finance is stuff people know, you know? Like, doesn't everyone know that outgo should be less than income? Maybe, maybe not. But even so, all of that is available on the internet, so what could I say that would be valuable?
And then I thought, "Hey erin, they asked you, so why don't you just say what YOU do when managing your household budget?" So I'm going to give you a short outline of what I think I'll do and if you don't mind, could you tell me what you think? If there's something you'd like to hear that I didn't cover, let me know. Or if you think this is totally lame, let me know that too. The lesson unfolds in three acts:
Act 1: No Money Left Behind. Every single dollar that comes into your house must have a plan as to where it's going. That means you need to know how much money you make every month (grab those pay stubs, people) and then you need to write down all the "needs" (tithing, mortgage/rent, McDonald's ice cream cones--duh), then all the "wants." But you should have a plan for where things are going. It's often heard in our house, "Chuck, no spending money until Monday because we have none." And yet, when Chuck checks the checking account, there are $200. But what Chuck doesn't know is that the $200 is earmarked for the Fios bill or the utilities or 200 McDonald's ice cream cones.
Act 2: Keep Track of Spending. How can you know if you've reached your limits on ice cream (well, this is kind of a dumb example because there's really no limit on this one) if you don't know how much you've spent? Just because I have $200 in my account, doesn't mean I can go buy 200 ice cream cones; it means I can afford to pay my gas and electric bill. Keep receipts and write spending down. Whether you do it in Excel, other electronic means, or just on paper. Keep track.
Act 3: Savings. In our house we have one savings account and everything goes into it. I keep track via spreadsheet (shoutout to Star! go spreadsheets!) how much is in each "purse." Examples of purses we currently have are: emergency fund, life happens fund, 10th anniversary trip fund, car fund, Christmas, etc. Examples of purses we used to have are: Lasik fund (still crying over this one, especially with my latest eye woes), maternity fund (for when I was out of work), etc. The point is, is that we intend to pay cash for everything. As soon as we finished paying off Chuck's car, we kept making a "car payment" to ourselves. So now, we have money to pay cash for the next car we need. And once we get that car, we'll keep making that payment. Or the 10th anniversary trip: we know we want to go, so we put a small amount of money in there so that in 2.5 years, we'll be able to do whatever we want (provided childcare exists). And the Christmas one? I don't know how people do this without saving! Again, a small amount of money each month goes into the account so that when December comes, we are able to afford the new Mercedes with a big red bow I'm getting Chuck (shhhh...don't tell!) Anyway, save. Pay in cash.
Whoa. I expanded much more than intended. To those in my ward who wanted to attend my class, feel free to skip it. But if you do skip, be aware that you'll miss the lovely Star do her organizing thing, so maybe you want to reconsider. That woman is a five-star, double black belt in organizing. Again, anything else you think should be here? For example, should I tackle debt reduction/elimination?
Re: This post's title. I'm not the only one who remember that old movie, "Short Circuit," right? Didn't Number 5 go around yelling, "INPUT" when it wanted answers to questions? Ah yes. My memory did not fail me.
I'm pretty sure you're hoping I'll stop writing about this. Even I am unsure why it's so intriguing to me. I guess it comes down to this: I thought Hatfields and McCoys were common knowledge. That's it. But I'm totally wrong! (Just like my co-worker who seems to think that everyone has heard of the Donner party.) There seems to be no pattern regarding who knows it and who doesn't. Did you go to college? Did you grow up in Utah? Are you a stay-at-home mom? Are you male? Doesn't matter. Nobody knows (except for the couple of us that do).
Anyway, the take home message is that Hatfields and McCoys are just a bit of trivia. Some people know about them and some people don't. The end. It's really not that interesting (unless you're me).
But what might be interesting is the stuff that you know that I don't! I mean, there has to be something, right? Kidding, I know there's tons of stuff I don't know, I just don't know it. And how does one go about finding out what general knowledge are they missing? I can't very well sit down with someone and say, "Tell me what you know." Duh. I guess I have to be patient, make many friends, and talk to those friends. And then I just have to listen and learn. Something is bound to come up.
And now for the winner...Congratulations to...Allen! But also a congrats to Purvi as the wife of Allen (yes, AllEn, not AllAn, sorry Sandra!), because she'll end up enjoying the prize as well. (Purvi, if you have something in mind, let me know! Otherwise I'll just surprise you. Which probably means something for little Saha.)
Have a happy weekend. Send us happy thoughts and pray we don't melt. Because it's a real possibility with this weather.
First, thanks so much for being willing to answer my dumb questions. Remember, there was no judging from us, but I must admit there is some shock. I am amazed that more of you didn't know Question 1. I am not amazed that more of you didn't know Question 2. Okay. Here we go.
Question 1. Do you know anything about the Hatfields and the McCoys?
Answer 1. They were real (not fictional) feuding families in the late 1800s. Their feud was set in the states of West Virginia and Kentucky and may have started over a stolen pig. It resulted in the death of many, many family members. Now their names are synonymous for feuds. And yes, there was recently a six-hour miniseries on the History channel.
Question 2. Do you know to what, "That's a clown question, bro" refers?
Answer 2. Bryce Harper is an outfielder with the Washington Nationals baseball team. He also happens to be a 19-year-old Mormon. He was recently asked whether he'd get a beer while in Canada (it's legal for 19-year-olds to drink there) and his response was, "That's a clown question, bro." See it below. It's become quite the internet sensation and it still cracks me up. If I didn't feel so dumb, I'd try to find more opportunities to use it. (Sandra, Sen. Reid "borrowed" it from Bryce.)
Winner announced tomorrow!
Me: Right, Rhett?
Rhett: Right indeed woman!
Seriously, where does he get this? Do not think Chuck talks to me like this. He doesn't.
After I lightly salted his green beans...
Rhett: Thanks for giving this more taste.
Rhett: Mom, I think you're definitely going to die before me.
Me: Oh yeah, why do you think that?
Rhett: Because you're old.
Oh little Rhett, how I only hope that's true. Just let me be very old, and let you be kinda old when I go.
After feeling sick for a couple of days...
Me: And how are you feeling today, compared to yesterday?
Rhett: Yesterday I was four squares sick. But today it's only one!
The following day...
Rhett: Now I only feel sick a half a square!
Rhett is forever saying this one when Ollie is escaping up the stairs or into Bruno's crate...
Rhett: You better watch your son, Mom.
While getting ready for bed...
Rhett: Will you turn this to it's not outside-in, you know, so it's outside-out?
We were reading the illustrated stories from the Bible, and I happened to notice that the next night's story was on Ruth and Esther. I told him how exciting it was to read about girls in the scriptures and then that moved our conversation to other girls in scriptures and then that moved to what would you have wanted to name a baby sister? (Not sure how smooth that transition was, but I digress.) At first we were being silly with hypothetical names, "Sister Bear!" And then "Mama Bear!" And then the silliest, "Papa Bear!" But then Rhett nearly yells, "Oh I got it. NIPPLES!"
Don't forget to check out Monday night's post!
Does that sound like the beeping of the emergency alert system? Cause it is. I interrupt the regular M/W/F posting schedule to bring you this incredibly important (to Chuck and me) post. We are so interested in your responses to this that I'm going to offer another PRIZE! Just by commenting, you'll be entered into a raffle for something. Won't say what that "something" is, but it'll be something good--promise. And note, your entry into the raffle is not dependent upon right answers, so please no googling...at least until after you post your first response. Okay, here we go.
1. Can you tell me anything about the Hatfields and McCoys?
2. I quote a recent clip of a conversation between Chuck and me:
blankChuck: Do you want a cookie?
blankErin: That's a clown question, bro.
Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? That is, do you know to what my answer is referring?
BONUS ENTRY: Ask your spouse their response to these two questions and comment with his/her answers. (That's right; you'll double your chances of winning just by making interesting conversation with your spouse. It's a win-win.)
P.S. Sorry Erika, but there was a limit on the amount of time in which you could claim your prize. And that time has expired. No hard feelings!
P.P.S. I promise that there is no judging from over here on whether or not you know these things. Cross my heart.
P.P.P.S. Rules and Regulations: You must be 18 years or older. You must live in the U.S. or Puerto Rico. Kidding! Really, the only one is that you must respond before I wake up on Thursday morning. And remember, I'm in the Eastern time zone and I got a little Ollie, so I get up pretty dang early.
Ahh...all my grand plans. Chuck Day. Bike Shopping. Long runs. Beautiful weather. Bike riding. All of it either puked up or, well, the other one.
The last week of school is supposed to easy when you're a high school teacher and a high school teacher's wife. Unfortunately, it was not. The boys got sick Wednesday night, were mostly better by Friday (but thereby killing Chuck's "Chuck Day" in the process), but then the sickness transferred to Chuck early Saturday morning. I've never heard such violent vomiting in my life. Not even on TV. Then Saturday night, I didn't feel well, although I was lucky enough to escape the puking.
However, Friday between sickies was an okay day. We bought Chuck a bike so he could pull the trailer and all the boys took it for a quick spin before dinner. I think they're going to have a lot of fun with it during the summer.
But Fathers' Day was pretty crappy. Chuck got up earlier than he should have, dinner was thrown together at the last minute and not what he asked for, and I forgot part of his present. Argh. So, I will try it again. Next week: Fathers' Day, Part II.
It has recently come to my attention that I'm the only one following rules, and I feel like I'm being punished for it. For example:
During the half marathon in St. Michaels, I was told that there were NO headphones allowed. I know why they do this: it's a safety thing. If you have headphones on, you can't hear traffic or attackers. Got it. So I didn't bring mine so I wouldn't even be tempted. But what did I see at the race? Headphones everywhere! Everyone had them. I'm certain I could have dramatically reduced my time had I been listening to some of my podcasts.
Then there's stuff at work. My new boss asked that his staff do something. I did, but turns out no one else did. What?! Why?! Why do I have to be the idiot who does every little thing?
Finally, on the road. I use my turn signal. I obey signs when they say, "No Turn on Red" even when I really really want to turn on red. I don't change lanes on the Bay Bridge, even though I really want to go around the car going five miles less than the speed limit. But all these other jerks are doing all these things that I want.
Anyway that's it.
I know this post isn't very exciting, but I've been wearing glasses for two weeks straight. No contacts. That has to have an effect on something, right? Let's see if I can find a fun picture or two to enliven this post.
In peanut butter-y times...
...and the livin' is easy. Or not.
I'm about to return to my full-time summer work and feeling pretty sad about it. Sure these boys are hard and being home is exhausting, I'd still choose it anytime over full-time work. However, I must share the good things with my spouse, and so it's time for Chuck to get his share of stay-at-home parenting.
Because I know that boredom can be a killer for stay-at-home parents, I wanted Chuck to be prepared. I made up a "Summer Badges" book for Rhett, and Chuck and Rhett will get to complete it together (and I can help in the afternoons and weekends). Think Boy or Girl Scout badges, each with their own set of requirements, but just for a four-year-old. You can see the badges below (left to right, top to bottom): art, bedroom, play, kitchen, service, school, health and body, and nature. Pretty cute, right?! As Rhett completes each requirement, he'll get to put the "badge" into his book. And when the book is all done, well, good for him!
Don't worry. Even though the boys will be working hard, there will be plenty of time for this:
And maybe a little bit of this:
P.S. In case you're wondering, I made the book from this tutorial. So easy. So satisfying. Seriously. And if you'd like a set of the badges for yourself, just let me know. The Silhouette would be happy to cut them for you. You think I'm lying. I'm not. If you're in Maryland and you come to craft night on Friday, I might even cut them out for you right then and there. Just bring your own cardstock.
Do you have things you feel like you "should" be doing? I'm not talking about the things we really should be doing, like exercising or genealogy or whatever. I'm talking more about things that you wish you did because you feel like they fit into who you think you are, or who you want people to think you are or who you wish you were. Does any of this make sense? Didn't think so. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Take, uh, me! I feel like I should do yoga. I know it would help my running and my body in general. It would strengthen me and my core. But for a small set of reasons, I just can't make myself do it. It doesn't feel like exercise (because I'm not getting my heart rate up). I would have to use valuable kid-free time to do it, which I'm not willing to do. Besides, it all seems too serious and introspective...two things I'm not. Every time I do it, I end up laughing.
Also, gardening. I so wish I could/would do this. I wish I had the discipline and the desire. Sure, I'd love to go out there and pick our own pumpkins, but I can't make myself do all the work that would be necessary to reap such wonderful things. And yes, I'd love to have fresh basil for pesto, but let's be honest: no one but me eats pesto in my house. No one eats squash. No one eats tomatoes. We can't grow loaves of bread or else maybe I'd reconsider.
And of course, I wish I was the type of person who didn't watch T.V., mostly so I could say I don't watch T.V. I really admire all of you who do this but I can't. Once the kids are asleep, there are some nights where I just have to sit and do nothing. But not really nothing, just mostly nothing, like watch T.V.! Thankfully having kids has reduced our television watching, especially on weekends. I might watch a show during nap times and then only again when kids are in bed for the night. I honestly just like T.V. (Especially the show "The Middle." This is one funny show. Spend the summer catching up on it and then get ready for it to return in the fall.)
Finally, there's the salad thing. I just don't like salads, but I wish I did. I wish I could eat a salad for a dinner. But I can't. I don't like lettuce, and that's a major problem when it comes to salad.
Your turn. Things you feel like you should be doing?
Tomorrow: Things I do but I wish I didn't! Oooh, exciting!
Would you rather have a little box of four fancy small chocolates or a regular-sized candy bar?
How long should I keep checking private blogs that are never updated? I just always hope that there will be an update, but there's not.
Let's say you have some bug bites on your leg. Do you (1) wear pants in the hopes that they'll keep you from scratching, or (2) wear shorts/skirt because long clothes will constantly annoy the bites?
I have a friend who claims she cannot make rice krispie treats. Just can't. Me? I cannot make chocolate chips cookies. I try. I swear I do. But I just can't. I've tried all sorts of recipes but they all fail for various reasons. I'm blaming it on Maryland. Everything is Maryland's fault.
Man, I really really love the women I know. Seriously, I've never felt like I enjoyed the company of so many woman every before. Sure, I have a couple of BFFs, but I've always only had a couple and that's it. And now, it's not like I have a million BFFs, but I have such a great circle of women that I get to be around and I just love it. LOVE. Every time we get together for craft night, baby showers, girls' nights, play dates, I enjoy their company immensely.
Chuck and I have been splurging lately with the purchase of these scented trash bags. They smell so good.
This is the most remedial one of all. See if you can find Chuck's sunglasses. Go!
P.S. You might think I'm lying about this one. I assure you I'm not.
P.P.S. Have you seen that McDonald's ice cream cones are now on the dollar menu? Suh-weet. Go get one. I'll wait.
