Hell Froze Over.... Here's your invitation to the skating party...

Glad to see the rest of the country is having the same frigid temps we are....  although today is a balmy 24 degrees.

I've been wearing Sweet's fleece hat to work.... it is black and has skulls on it.  Paired with my sleek black sunglasses.... I look cool.... in my mini van. 

Ideal Dreams

I love:
1.  Sephora hair bands
2.  ELF lipgloss
3.  Dansko shoes
4.  Smith sunglasses
5.  Thymes Olive Leaf
6.  My stubby handled 2" angled paint brush
7.  Victoria Secret hipsters
8.  My new travel coffee mug
9.  Gift cards for the coffee shack by my house

Things I'm searching for:
1.  good mascara
2.  solid base coat
3.  a cardigan as perfectly cut as my beloved but shabby black Carolyn Taylor one
4.  really great couch pillows
5.  curtains for the bedrooms
6.  new swimwear
7.  a paint color for the bedrooms
8.  perfect organization in the laundry room
9.  classic sandals for this summer

Reinvent

I've decided to reinvent myself once a month.  That seems about right. 

Jimmy Buffett sings about spending a few days trying to recall the whole year ('round here we call that writing the Christmas form letter).  I change toothbrushes quarterly and update menus seasonally.  Clothes seem to follow a seasonal update schedule and then, of course, there is the summer-school breakdown of time. 

I come up with a plan, live with it a few weeks, tweak it until it works and then..... something changes.  So I've decided the only way to cope is to reinvent every month. 

Remember when I was so excited to be on schedule in October?  The morning schedule was really working.... and then Hot got a different job.  And now I am in charge of get up-get ready-make lunches-school and daycare drop off and things are ok but not great.... that's an example of what I'm talking about.

So.... what are you going to reinvent this month?

Weekend Expense Report

Things I forgot to pack for the reunion/celebration/birthday weekend:
My camera
The anti-itch benadryl spray
Sweet's baseball cap

Things I had that were important:
sanitizer spray
wet wipes
boy bandaids
redneck stroller bug screen (a big chunk of tulle and some binder clips)
The #1 cake candle

Things we spent money on that were important but surprisingly expensive:
Bouncy house entrance fees ($10/kid)
Water.... lots of bottles of water
Homemade corn dogs
Meat on a stick
Frybread
A new t-shirt ($15)
Beer
Dinosaur Museum donations

In case you were wondering what we do when daddy is working late.....

I was cleaning out the winter gear, washing and storing, I left to put in a load of coats in the laundry (in the next room) and I came back to this.....Yes, they are wearing face masks, ski googles, gardening gloves and jammies while they play "Wrestler Guys" in the living room.  I don't know where they come up with this stuff but points for creativity.... or I need to have a talk with the father-figure about what he is letting them watch on tv when I'm not around.

Breakfast May 2010

Yes, they are eating chicken nuggets for breakfast.

Yes, the winter coats are still out... mid-May.

Yes, there is a carpet sample on my table.

Yes, my countertops are pink.

I should also point out there are TWO weather systems sitting on the shelf back there.  One for each side of the house.... so you can triangulate with the one outside the kitchen window to see what the weather is really like.  Because I am a farmer at heart.
Any questions?

What are you wearing today??

I'm wearing my favorite dark orange long-sleeved t-shirt and my dark jeans.... with crazy striped multicolored socks. What? It's Friday.

The on-going and ever-lasting clothing debate continues. I guess it isn't a debate but more of an ongoing discussion about finding your personal style.

Get Rich Slowly has a great article up about clothing. Go. Read the article and the comments. Come back. Tell me what you think.

Now. Here's what I think. Yup, right on. I began my quest to discover my style in January 2008 with the great closet clean out. I gathered my sister (you can borrow her if you want.... she has great style, is honest, and won't hurt your feelings) and a cup of tea. We started into my closets with the goal of not stopping until we were done.

I discovered what everyone discovers. I wear the same stuff over and over. So I ditched the rest.... to the tune of seven large garbage bags to Good Sam's. And later a giant tub of shoes.

Then I spent a little money on a few items shopping with Elle at Kohl's and getting some capris at Eddie Bauer.

So that was almost 2 years ago. I'm finding my wardrobe needs another overhaul. Frankly, that stuff I bought two years ago is WORN OUT.... I don't care how you launder it and don't put it in the dryer.... wear it every week and it wears out.

Plus I suffer with every season change. I'm moving out of my cute skirts/plain tops/sandals outfits and into jeans and fall clothes. I need something a little classier than my dark jeans three days a week at work.

I have some "Holy Crap It Is Hard To Ditch Baby Number Three Weight" clothes now that I am wearing to work but I need to anticipate Christmas. What items should I ask for to make the perfect work/play wardrobe??

Here's what I'm thinking:

The perfect black cardigan.... maybe cashmere.
Long-sleeved black shirts.... not crew neck... v-neck or something clever..... soft fabulous fabric.
A new scarf or two. I love scarves. Something shorter maybe?
One or two tops... those crazy trendy print ones.
Something fabulous and Eileen Fisher??
Pants... what pants? I have black knit ones (yoga pants) that I wear all the time. What else?

What are you DOING this summer?

So Elle is asking.... What are you DOING this summer?

Now..... I don't really feel qualified to answer this..... I mean.... I go to an office 40 hours a week and my kids aren't in school yet.... so, with that qualification.... Here's our summer plan.

The babe is due June 28th.

Our lives are going to be simple, simple, simple....

Sweet & Tuff will do some private swim lessons in July and, possibly, an organized group set in August. This will let them be in the pool without me risking drowning 3 children (or myself) in the process.... Happy.

Wednesdays are "town" days. We will try for 10:30 story hour at the library and any errands on Wednesdays. Most times I will probably pack a snack lunch and we will eat at the park or somewhere.

Sundays are grill days. I'm going to try some new grill recipes.... veggies and stuff.... besides the usual fare of steak, burgers & hobo dinners.

We have plans to, periodically (every 10 days or so) meet family at our favorite lake-type place in town and have a picnic for dinner. Spinnin' chicken and strawberries for dinner. I love Costco.

Our daily schedule will vary but I try to sneak out of bed between 6:15-6:30 and have some quiet time... this summer I will be able to walk because Hot won't go to work until 9. On the elliptical at 7 if I can't walk. Kids get up and eat breakfast, do sunscreen, get dressed and brush teeth with minimal help. Tuff needs help with her hair and her pink sparkly lip gloss.

I shower ever day. Every. Single. Day. Mmm.... what a decadent goal.

My "projects" for the summer include cleaning the garage and painting the porch posts and upstairs outside window trim. Wish me luck.

The kids' "projects" for the summer include making fairy gardens and building things out of old wood and painting rocks.

Creek time. We try to play down by the creek a few times a week. It is cool in the heat. We also will have the swing set done and the pool on the corner of the porch. I can sit in my rocker and see everything I need to see.

Lunches will, generally, be eaten outside every day. We have a little table set up on the porch.

Saturday mornings are Farmer's Market and/or Cartoons.

Friday nights are movie nights.

I'm going to try to sneak in 8-10 hours of work a week during the first few weeks to stretch the maternity leave.

I'll let you know about mid-summer how it is all going.....

I don't really do fast food.

Just going INTO fast food places... well, it makes me feel like I'm slinking into some sleazy porn shop or something. Some people eat that stuff EVERY DAY.

But I was recovering from a stressful day at the legislature the other day and I though I needed Taco John's potato ole's to sooth my troubled mind....

Can I mention that there is NO TJ's like the Havre TJ's??? Those of you who have been there know what I'm talking about.... Havre doesn't have much going for it but they have a great TJ's and, of, course Rod's Drive-In (Home of the Ugly Burger) and the infamous triple-marshmallow Mountain Dew.

Oh. And then. I was out-smarted & upsold by a high school dropout with less than half her natural teeth. I went inside because I can't stand the pressure of the drive-thru.... I never know what I want to order. So I look at the menu and decide I want a burrito-type meal... because that's what I left at home when I forgot my lunch.... and I decide I don't want the #1 because, well, if it is #1 then it must be trendy OR the cheapest for them to make.... so I get a #2.... a burrito and ole's and a drink. I usually don't get a drink but they have ok lemonade at TJ's. So I go to order and I say, "#2" like I order fast food every day and am a pro... and SHE says, "small, medium or large" and I get really confused but I have to hurry because that's why they paint those places bright red-yellow-orange colors... so you hurry.... and there is a line so I just say, "Middle-sized" (Which.... interestingly... is what dad always says.... never "medium diet drink" but "middle-sized diet drink" and my sister mentioned her mate is the same way.... which supports my theory she is dating her father and icked her out totally AND she said she gets angry when they only have small and large as options.)

So anyway.... I pay and am leaving the cashier clutching my change and my receipt and a plastic card with the number 51 on it and it hits me. She just played me. Instead of regular, super-sized and extra-super-sized they've switched to small, medium and large. Who orders small? five-foot-two-inch tall women and children.... that's who. I consider myself average so I order regular... but when the options are s,m,l..... then average becomes medium. Tricky, tricky marketing.

I did enjoy the HELL out of those potato ole's tho....

And later in the doctor's office I read a "Time" article about child obesity and I felt really guilty.... but we've already been down THAT road......

Yellow American.....

..... Cheese.

Yellow American Cheese is the bane of my existence.

There.

I said it.

My kids had never really had it until hunting season this year.

Sweet came home from deer hunting with his daddy... (What? You don't send your 4-year-old out with a heavy pack to hike for miles on end in search of food?)

"Mama, we had the coolest thing today. (This I expect.... excursions to the woods have introduced Sweet to all sorts of things... peeing on a tree, the smell of elk, the joy of a Snickers bar, the fun of a camp fire, how to make an air hanky, the fascination of MRE's and the exhaustion of a good hike.) Yellow Cheese. (Big deal, I think to myself....) It was called...... American. And it came in little wrapped squares."

He is, at this point, dancing around.... so excited he can't contain himself.

"And, mama, I brought some home to share with Tuff!"

Great.

So, from that point on, my kids were American cheese eaters. I gave in and started buying it in the giant five pound blocks at Costco. Do you know that stuff doesn't ever mold? Seriously. Scary. I will admit I believe there is a place in this world for sliced squares of yellowy-orange processed goodness.... camping, road trips, picnics.... just not in everyday life.

So mark this in the box of "things I said my kids would never...." and get on with it.

The Unholy Triumvirate

I like to think a stool balances best on three legs. Ya know? Even if one leg is a little shorter than the others.... with three legs it will still balance.

That's my approach.

So 'round here we struggle with balancing three main philosophies.... like a 3-legged stool.... or like 3 overlapping circles....

Green: So obvious. So trendy. So current. So hip. Cut the clutter. Stop shopping. Repurpose. Try being happy with what you have.... see, it isn't so bad. I wish there was a better word for it than green... it makes me feel so muppet-y.

Cheap: Again, with the trendy. And the price of gas. But I swear to you.... I've been doing this for years. Budget.... but not a cheapskate.... right? Because I'm not afraid to dish cash for a serious investment (or really excellent cheese).... But am I going to spring for fancy all-organic food? Probably not. But will I shell out $25/week for a CSA share? Probably.

Easy: Ok, some would call this "simple" and call me a hipster. (If you could see what I'm wearing, eating, reading and doing right now you would laugh at THAT label....) But it goes beyond simple.... simple stirs ideas of hippie and crunchy and earthy..... and sometimes my idea of simple is.... well..... mac-n-cheese and a dvd on a Friday night. So within the triumvirate balance we see microcosms of internal balance.... oh, our simple diagram of three overlapping circles just got a little more complicated, didn't it? Maybe "easy" has some tones of "slow down" or "simplify" or "just give yourself a fucking break already there, SuperMom" in it.

So I'm finding tones of these things in everything as I go about my day. Am I just using this to justify living how I want to live? Because if that is the case I'm wasting my time.... who cares? Is it a tactic to justify the slightly schizophrenic cross between hippie & redneck? Or to justify feeding my kids hot dogs? Or is it not about justification at all?

How 'bout you?

I'm easy.

I'm very happy right now.

I got a new free travel wipes case in the giant box of Huggies wipes I got at Costco. A new travel case. I think I'll put it in Hot Stuff's car... no, wait, the other diaper bag..... Oh, I'm just not sure.... Yes, people, my life has come to this... glee over butt-wipe.

No More Dark.

Mid-February is hard for me. By February the weather is starting to get to me. I crave sunlight & sandals. My grandmother’s birthday is February 22nd and I miss her every day but I miss her the most at Christmas time and her birthday. The baby we lost (that sounds so odd but I don’t know how else to refer to s/he) was due around the 16th. I take comfort that, based on how late Sweet Boy was, the “lost baby” would have been born on Grandma’s birthday. She would have loved that. I’m sure she is holding that baby in heaven right now.

Needless to say, I am glad February is the shortest month and nothing makes me happier than seeing March. No more leaving home for work in the dark. No more getting home after work in the dark. No more playing ball with the dog in the dark. No more dark. I understand why the ancients celebrated spring with such joy…. I think I will get off the computer and go do a little celebrating myself. I might even invite my husband for a little Bauccian (sp?) celebration of fertility….. I have a bottle of wine I’ve been saving for a special occasion… this might just be it.
Here’s to Spring.