I said "I do", now mommy of two…

Fact Friday!

I stole this idea from my sister’s blog (www.einthepink.com).  It is indeed an easy and fun way to share random tidbits about myself, so that you, my dear readers (if I actually have any) can know me better.

Fact:

Pickles are evil and I have only eaten 2 on purpose – but I was getting paid to do so (one was a $1 dare from my dad, the other was a $5 dare from dad ~ inflation and all).  Picky eating habits run in my family…it’s sad, really.  And pickles happen to be one of the most vile and abhorrent creations ever to accidentally end up on my plate (or my mom’s, my brother’s, my sister’s…)   It is strange (and annoying) how I can be so specific about deep-sixing the pickle with my order…

Deep-six

Delete

Nix

Eliminate

Erase

Scrap

Can

Obliterate

Abolish

Reject

Exclude

Jettison

…and STILL end up staring down the slimy green spear on the side of my plate when our orders arrive.  No pickles.  Period.  End of sentence.  It is difficult to disregard one when it comes on the plate after the specifications have been made.  The juice from said item puddles on the plate soaking into and contaminating anything around it, namely the hamburger bun or sandwich bread, french fries or chips…you get the idea.  Then I’m left with a quarantined portion of the plate that must be sopped up with a napkin, I don’t care of it’s cloth I’ll use it anyway, and soggy bread items must be removed or set aside.  That’s how much I dislike this commonly popular side-item.  It is a real process.  My husband doesn’t understand why it is such a big deal, but think about it.  If you bring me a pickle, you are

A) wasting a pickle

B) making me unhappy

C) wasting napkins

D) possibly having to redo a sandwich or burger, depending on placement of the pickle (ON the sandwich or burger is just unacceptable) , thus wasting food

To clarify, I do not make a fuss with the wait staff if I can resolve the situation myself with above actions (removal, cleaning of plate…).  It’s not worth fussing over, I just don’t like them.  The smell, the taste, the whole experience of a pickle (which I observe with my husband and sister-in-law on a regular basis) is unappealing in general.  So, hold the pickle please!

“Thirst Quencher”

The scene ~ Whole Foods, late Sunday morning.

My husband, my kids and I made a quick trip to pick up a bag of veggie puffs or something for our two-year old (he had some at a birthday party yesterday, and for being a non-veggie eater, I figured we’d go get some to have at home).  We don’t really shop there, we’re good with the regular stuff at Lowe’s Foods or Harris Teeter, and the one in our town has the crappiest parking lot EVER.  Poor layout and way to small for the shopping center it is in.  I’ve only been there twice, maybe three times before today.  Once was an initial exploratory trip, and maybe twice to pick up lunch for my former employer and myself…for those wondering, don’t worry – it was a happy separation, I left work to start a family!  Anyway -

We are puttering through the store, eyeballing all the healthy, organic, sugar-free granola and tree bark flavored items (I’m partially kidding).  The baby is asleep and Matt is rolling him in the stroller while Evan sits in the cart I am pushing.  Matt and I separate for a moment and I go around the front of an isle where a uniquely dressed woman behind a display table asks me if I would like to give my son a sample of juice…here is how it played out:

Sample Lady: Would he like to try a sample of “Just Kids Thirst Quencher”?

Me: No thank you, we don’t give him juice yet.

Sample Lady: It’s not juice, it’s thirst quencher. (She cocks her head and includes a full on “well, aren’t you an idiot” look).

Me: Ohhhhh-kayyyyyyy. (In my head I am saying – ok, Dot…back away slowly…..no sudden movements….she might scare easy….)

…………………………………

Did she seriously correct me and give me a “look”?  Excuse me?  The liquid you’re pushing at me looks like diluted tea – it’s not water, it’s not milk – in my mind it’s juice, right?  Apparently not, it’s THIRST QUENCHER.  Geeeez.  So we finally find that they are out of the veggie puff things and I quickly wheel Evan to the register to purchase the hot tea bags I found (in a flavor not available at my grocery store)…and we head out as fast as possible.  Oy.  Whole Foods may be the big thing, but just not for us.  I’ll just get Evan some animal crackers and be done with it!

~Winter Favorites~

Snow Days with my little ones ~ staying in pajamas all day, drinking hot chocolate and having picnics by the fireplace…

Warm scarves, earmuffs & cute hats in bright, fun colors!

Cozy nights with the hubby, catching up on”us time”.

“How I Met Your Mother” – love it!!!!

On that same note – I LOVE Netflix.

Yummy body lotions ~ love feeling all hydrated and fabulous when it’s dry & crisp outside.

PEDICURES!  Yes – every month, all year ‘roud.  I went with a dark pewter polish last week.

Getting photos from Christmas printed, labeled and mailed to extended family to keep them up to date on the little ones.

Baking.  An indoor activity with the 2-year old that yields delicious results.

The Great Christmas Cleanup of 2010

Good morning all!  It is gray, which would normally make me feel kind of blah and lethargic, but since it’s not raining (and the snow has melted enough for me to get the minivan out & about) I believe I will tackle a few errands today with the little men…then begin the cleanup ~insert ominous music here~

I LOVE decorating, and truthfully I don’t mind putting everything away again, but with two little ones everything takes me seven times longer than normal so I have chosen today to begin the hunt.  Looking for all the neat, sweet little Christmas doodads and thingamajiggies that I tucked in all nooks & crannies of almost every room in the house.  It is inevitable that a few will be discovered sometime mid-January or later, but I do need to start gathering the bulk of the items in one spot to make for easy repacking.  Since out tree is so large (over 16′ this year) I undecorate only what I can reach and wait for the hubby to be home to help with the 10′ ladder and retrieval of the highest ornaments.  I even bought new tissue paper this year for packing our tree pretties!  The stuff we had was completely a shambles!  Wrinkled, worn and hole-y, the tissue had had a good multi-year run, and it was time for a fresh supply.  I hope also, in my attempt at organizational paradise, to keep the tree ornaments separate from the other decor.  Somehow things always get mixed in together….stockings with ornaments, ornaments with stuffed snowmen and glitter trees, etc.

So, beginning at naptime, I will fix some hot chocolate and begin the room to room hide-n-seek with the Christmas and holiday decor.  Husband & I usually leave things out till the week after New Year’s Eve, but with my slowed-down process, I need to start now in order to get it together by then!  Secretly…I’m already thinking about the countdown to the 2011 Decoration Extravaganza when I can get it all out again!

Christmas Shenanigans and New Year projects…

Wowza!  2010 Christmas Shenanigans are well underway…heck, nearly over ~  it went so fast I feel like we hit a time warp!  I did feel more stressed this year than usual, we did host more parties than usual, I have another kiddo to look after…and that didn’t help with the speed with which the holidays slipped past me!

For the first time in 70-something years we had a white Christmas in Winston.  As in, it actually started snowing right before noon on Christmas day and it snowed throughout the rest of the day and into the night, giving us quite an impressive pile up of glistening puffy snow.  Family members were careful going home, little ones pressed their noses to the windows at various points in the day to ooh and ahh…it was lovely!

Matt cooked another beautiful turkey & we had a few sides, my brother made his famous carrot cake and icing (both from scratch!!) and we had a take-it-easy kind of day.  No formal table settings, no scheduled timing for anything…the little ones ate, napped, and played and we enjoyed the company of those we love.  A favorite of all three toddlers was a giant Thomas train that wheels all over the place or follows a special red flashlight thing as you aim it on the floor.  Evan & Zeb’s playroom is twice as full today as it was just Friday, and Evan has gone a bit bonkers with all the new additions!

Sadly, the Christmas cleanup is an inevitable downer after the holidays and looms in my future…undoing the GIANT tree, organizing my ornament & decor boxes this year, and packing away the wreaths.  Boo.  At least I can drink hot chocolate while doing it!  And Evan loves helping take things to the trash can, so he can be my little helper.

There are a few projects I’ll soon be tackling now that the holidays are winding down and they are – in no particular order:

1) Starting potty training with Evan

2) Transitioning Evan’s crib to toddler bed

3) Plugging in the wii again and using my new dance games

4) getting organized for our upcoming trip to Europe

5) BASEMENT project needs to be wrapped up, inspected, and then cleaned/put away/tidied up

What are some of your projects coming up in the new year?