Whew....Thousand Word Thursday

Everything is A-Ok guys. Super long story short...Hurricane hit us (and all we lost was power/gas/water/internet) and we blew dodge a couple of days afterwards. We came up to my parents home in North Carolina. I have meaning to update y'all (and I apppreciate immensely those of you who have inquired about us) but I have a gazillion pictures that I wanted to show y'all. I will start to blog again once I return home. I miss all of my bloggy friends and reading up on your lives too!!!!! *See you soon, Bar-b

Now, without further adieu......Game. Every thursday (unless we don't have power again ;) I will post a picture and you can add what thoughts or comments you think the character(s) is(are) saying.

Hurricane Yikes

I just wanted to quickly blog and let all of you who are out of the proverbial loop that Hurricane Ike is coming to town. I have not been able to blog today b/c well, we've been sorta preparing for the storm. Everyone in the city (I think I am generalizing) was let out early from work and the streets were packed. We decided to go to the store and it was pandemonium. It was not nearly as bad as my Miami days, but, kooky nonetheless. The queuing systems are better here and the people are more calm and organized. We bought.....

• water
• batteries (C, AA, AAA, D, 9V)
  
• a battery operated radio
  
• canned foods (soup, beans, fruit, etc)
  
• almonds, and other nuts
  
• boxed milk
  
• flashlights
  
• candles
• toilet paper
• board games
• matches
• chips, cookies, bread, salsa, you know, essentials :)
• diapers and wipees
  
• new crayons, crafts, markers, and cardboard for the toddler without tv
  
• martini fixins for the adults with a toddler without tv
  
• fueled up the car
  
• got cash (shhhh, don't tell anyone)

We will surely have power outtages and be without our beloved computer and possibly our cell phones due to busy towers and all of that. This will all begin tomorro win the early AM but we are already feeling it in teh air. Gasoline stations are out of gas, restaurants are closed (Old McDonalds as Athena calls it was closed), retail stores are closed, Home Depot, Lowe's, home away from home (yes, Target) is closed.

We are ready though. We have some pretty cool neighbors and we'll all just help where need be come Saturday. In the meantime, I made buttons for all of us to wear and they look like this....

Love,
Tina Turner

Thousand Word Thursday

GAME- Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat

Here's a story, of a lovely baby (sung in brady bunch theme song)...

Saylor has been wanting to eat solids for a while now. She detests (unlike her big sis) baby food , mushed up stuff, purees, expensive organic vegetables steamed, or boiled and then put in a blender. Wasteful little bugger she is. As you can see here she is attempting to eat the coffee table as Athena is none the wiser.

Saylor has taken it upon herself to send me a message. She researched and researched and basically told me (in her own way that only I understand) "listen lady, I want your food. What you eat, I want. I don't care how big, how crunchy, how hard, and how completely inappropriate for me it is. I want it. Now." I told her I was nonplussed, but, somewhat understood and would oblige.

Here she is waiting for her food while she has puff appetizers. She looks like she is humoring me. What a cheeky girl.

Here she is eating...ready for this.....curried chicken and rice noodles. She could not get enough of this. Happier than a clam in high tide. And yes, Nan Nan and Mimi, she is eating right on the table not on a plate ;)

Here she is attempting to kick up her heels in happiness whilst still in her high chair thingee ma jig.

So, the moral of the story is that babies want suggestion boxes placed throughout the house so that they can share with management (aka, mum and dad) how they can improve their stay.

Tutu Cute!

Saylor Sloane's friend, Sydney Blythe sent her this adorable!!!!!!!!! tutu just cuz. SS decided to try it on today and pose? for the camera. This shoot was not easy folks...where is Shannon when you need her (and for those of you keeping track...yes, I just learned how to link!!!! thanks carrie, nancy, and andrea...yep, it took three people).

Athena in a few years.......

Thousand Word Thursday

Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat

Unknown (maybe) Barbie Love/Hates

I.................

1. hate to abbreviate words. I can't do OJ, AC, PB and J, veggies, margies, or PJ's.

2. love to save money. I love a smart bargain, I love to haggle, and I love to get a deal. I will (without real need) research and investigate something until I know I have gotten the best price anyone could get. I love to return stuff too.

3. love driving stick shift, can't imagine why people don't.

4. never ever answer my phone (home or cell). You want me, text me or email me. And yes, this is how I roll.

5. loved the show 24. Michael and I watched the whole show on Netflix. I am convinced this show is where Obama got the idea to run for president.

6. love to use curse words. Yes, I have other more sophisticated adjectives to use but I enjoy cursing.....what can I say?

7. love pick up trucks. Texas is a haven for these. The bigger the better.

8. break out in song whenever apropos, and especially when not.

9. have to mention that my all time favorite class to participate in has been a course I took in West African Dance in Philadelphia. You cannot imagine how grrrreat this class was and how much fun.

10.am obsessed with spelling. I have a dictionary with me in the car, in my bedroom and in my home office. The catch is, I rarely use spell check. In fact, I don't remember the last time I did.



This is a super random list of my love/hates. I have many more (as we all do) but I tried to limit it to ten.

I would love to hear yours. Yes, yours.

Potty Training coming to a Toilet near you........

So, it's Monday, Sept. 1st......mighty fine day to begin...dun dun dun dun.....Potty Training! Athena is about 3 months shy of being 3 years old, so we thought it was a good time to start. So we (Michael and I) woke up super gung ho about the idea.

We had 1. the potty


2. the rewards (aka...the stickers)


3. the pull ups
No, not these. These.

4. the panties (you'll need to read further to find out why these).



and thanks to Abu Mimi 5. The potty time Elmo movie.


Athena and I had the talk. "Baby, we are not going to use diapers anymore. You will use the potty like momma and daddy". She looked very serious but seemed to get it........so I thought. She said, "momma has black panties, and daddy has white panties". I said "yes, daddy has white panties" :)

We ran out of panties (which Abu Mimi also got her) and decided to go and get some at the store. There were so many options for panties. So many cute and frilly ones to choose from. Athena was looking at the ones with Care Bears, Ariel, Disney Princesses, Hello Kitty, and she seemed to be liking them. Well then she saw the Cars one. You know, that Pixar movie about the cars that are personified. Great flick. Well, Athena wanted the Cars panties....but the problem lied in the fact that these weren't Cars panties, but, actually Cars Boys Briefs. We watch our words carefully around the girls, never limiting them with what they can and cannot like or play with. So when I saw these and saw that they were briefs...with the slit and all, I didn't want to say to Athena "no, not these. these are for boys." She wouldn't understand about the front slit even if I tried to explain it. Well, it was going to be simple in my head-offer her two choices at a time and eventually b/c of the law of large numbers, we'd go home with a princess or a "my little pony" because SHE wanted it. Plan, Flawless. Execution, notsomuch. It went a little something like this....

me- ok Athena, do you want Ariel or Cars?
aba- ummm, I want Cars.
me- ok. Do you want Princess or Cars.
aba- umm Princess (me all excited...) no, Cars.
me- ok. Look at this Dora panty.
aba- how cute.
me- Dora, or Cars?
aba- Cars.

Cars it was.

So I have given zero stickers out today and have already cleaned the floor once and the sofa another time. It is only her (our) first day. I do have hope in the Blaze and hope that we get it soon. After all, if Elmo can get it so can my daughter ;)

I would like to thank all of the little people ;)

I received a bloggy award this morning! I was thrilled to receive it from Betty at http://emptynesters3.blogspot.com/ !!!! I told you I didn't know how to link. I am honored and you have no idea how much I enjoy blogging. I love the blogosphere and all of its inhabitants. Being a blogger and a bloggee provides me with a creative outlet and a way to learn about so many different people with similar and dissimilar lives :)

With this award comes responsibility though....


And these are the official blog award rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate up to 6 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you’ve nominated.

I would like to give an award to *drumroll please*

1.Gerry @ http://www.gerry-jillian.blogspot.com/ -for being so good about posting pictures and stories about JGG!

2.Katy @ http://anothermommieblog.blogspot.com/ -for getting me excited about blogging, and for being another sassafras mom ;), also for commenting back ;)

3.Maegan @ http://www.lovemaegan.com/ -for living in LA and not being another mommie blogger ;)

4.Nancy @ http://montrealaise-en-californie.blogspot.com/ -for being a decoratin' fool, and always making me think when you post about redo'ing this or that.

5.Carrie @ http://oikology101.blogspot.com/ -for being a funny, smart, witty, newest addition to my blogroll.

6. Shannon @ http://shannonlittrellphoto.blogspot.com/ -for being a bad assed photog and for always being plentiful with comment love.

Someone please tell me how to link :S

Thousand Word Thursday

You know what to do.

If not...

Game. Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat

The Elusive Rice Krispies Treat

Am I the only person who thinks that making these sticky, gooey, buttery messes is difficult? Ok, maybe not like difficult difficult, but certainly not as easy as our friend in the video above make it seem. ABA had been saying all day, "Athena and Momma and Saylor make Christmas Treats?" "Athena and Momma and Saylor make Christmas Treats?" "Athena and Momma and Saylor make Christmas Treats?" "Athena and Momma and Saylor make Christmas Treats?" Ok!!!!!.....lets make Rice Krispies Treats. (Those of you with young children will understand and know that I was not embellishing the above conversation).

So we went to the Lawn Mart (WalMart) and bought all of the fun. 3 ingredients really, Cereal, Marshmallow, and Butter. You'd think this was some sort of joke, I mean this is sooooo easy, soooooo few ingredients it takes to make your toddler happy and quiet (for 6 mintues).

We get home and Athena wants to eat all of the marshmallows. I have to feed Saylor and put her down for a nap. I come back from putting Saylor down and Athena is in a tizzy about the xmas treats and mixing and some other stuff. She had one too many marshmallows, I fear.

Then I begin to read the recipe and realize I have to heat up the butter in a saucepan (not really toddler friendly thing to do), then I have to toss in the marshmallows in the saucepan (again, not toddler friendly) so Athena is basically just watching me from a safe distance. Boy we are really having a good time now. Then it is time to put in the 6 cups of RK Cereal. Pan is still hot and all of that gooey marshmallow is just screaming "3rd degree burn", so Momma does that too. Umm, yeah, so let's count all of the ways Athena was able to participate with our fun activity? Yep, ZERO.

The best part of this is that Athena got to eat her Xmas treats in a bowl, even though her momma botched up the ingredients and amounts and obviously messed up in her stirring technique. Oh and so did momma. Lots and lots of it too. In fact one could say that momma skipped dinner and should have skipped breakfast with all of the treats she ingested.

Monday, Monday nah nah, nah nah nah nah

ABA will be three in November. Today was her first day of school in her new classroom. She has been going to a "Moms Day Out" program since we moved from Orlando but now will be going to a different program, more hours and a but more intensive. Different teacher too. She will be going to school from 8:30am to 3pm, three days a week still. She loves school, the children and the teachers. She plays the games, follows directions and takes control of the activities. I have quietly observed her in the classroom and she is the one who participates, answers posed questions, finishes puzzles first, and is always telling other kids what to do (just like her daddy ;) Teachers always seem charmed by her and to think she is funny and bright (just like her mother ;) Some might even say that she is a little bit of the teacher's pet. Secretly, I am very happy about that. I know I shouldn't be, but, I am. I know a lot of teachers. I hear how they speak about the kids they don't jive with. Wait, she isn't potty trained. Haven't even started yet. I fully intend on doing this soon, just haven't.

Ugh, maybe, she won't be the teachers pet after all. Sorry ABA.

Caloric Poundering...I mean Pondering

No Pound, I mean Pun intended. As I sit here having eaten my blueberry bagel in 4 mintues flat, I wondered how many calories I had just eaten. It turned out to be 290 for the bagel, and 50 for the tablespoon of preserves (jam, jelly, marmalade whatever you call where you're from).

340 calories. Do you know how long I have to be on the elliptical machine to burn 340 calories? Yes, one hour at level 10. It doesn't seem fair that something I can down in 4 mintues takes me 1 hour to burn off.

So I have decided, I either have to start eating WAAAAAAAYYYYY slower or I have to find a work out that lasts 4 mintues and burns enough calories. I think maybe a fight scene from Kill Bill oughta do the trick. I wonder if they offer this at the LA Fitness by my house.

Happy Friday Y'all

Thousand Word Thursday

Game. Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat

Oh my Gosh, My Blog is Saucy!

I was seriously wondering why I had gotten visited so often by my SITSters. I thought it was that people were clicking on my picture when I left a message on roll call. I feel so silly, but, so excited to be a saucy blog. I just sit here (as many of you do) and start to babble about my day and never spell check.

When I visited the site http://thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/ I noticed all of the other entertaining bloggers too!

Have fun y'all and come back now ya hear.

How to go out to dinner as a family of four.....

1. do not always plan on actually getting to the restaurant, that would be first and foremost, just so you don't "set yourself up" for let's say.....dinner as a family of four.

2. pack a change of clothes for each child, a different sized diaper for each, snacks for the toddler (you know, for the 15 minutes it takes to get to the restaurant), juice box for the same ride, bottle of breast milk for baby, formula and scoop for extra (just on case she is hungrier than usual), rattle, space in your bag for the shoes that the baby will kick off, and finally remember your purse so that you have your real items like phone, wallet, etc.

3.plan on what you are having before you get there so that the order can be expedited (please don't think that you can actually peruse the menu leisurely). A part of you wants to phone your order in but another part of you wants to feel as though they are truly dining out so they stop you from doing this.

4.when parking the car ask the question "which kid do you want"? and follow suit. How parents of more than two children or a single parent do this....beyond me.

5. if you can sit outside do it, if not, pick a table that has 1. easy access to bathroom, or 2. next to another family of small kiddos.

6. when the server gets to the table, apologize ahead of time, and learn his or her name and smile frequently.

7. all a blur (you think you ate, you think you drank)

8. you rock the car seat, stick in the pacifier, tell toddler to use her fork, blow on her hot food, keep wine glass away from toddler, keep salt and pepper shakers away too, in fact you have given the server the sugar caddy when you first sat down.

9. ask for the check (now it has been confirmed because you are paying for the alleged food/drink).

10. leave restaurant and talk about how it wasn't so bad and look lovingly into your partner's eyes and say "remember the good old days" and the have you partner say "yes...but these good new days aren't so bad".

11. love your partner more than you did when you got there and realize that the kids will be going down to sleep the second they get home and know that you can then actually have a conversation with your partner.

12. blog about it the next day with a big smile and wonder when we'll be going out to dinner as a family of four again :)

Saylor's Interpretive Water Dance entitled Bday Wishes For Momma

Enjoy...

and Athena Blaze's Still Shot........

1 minute and 15 seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9ElOt0uxGQ

Yes, girls, thank you , I am 34 actually. I will have a great day filled with love and happiness! The cake was beautiful and your sentiments....so heartfelt. Yes, I will take a piece.

The Break Down

2 Floor tickets to Nine Inch Nails..........................................$130

Parking at Concert.................................................................$20

Buying an outfit to replace my yoga pants and tank top........$40

2 Beverages at concert...........................................................$15

Reliable Babysitter at $12 an hour (6)...................................$72

Having BOTH girls sleep in until 8:30am.......................Priceless

Where did my "Get Er Done"dness Go?

I have a list of things that I want to get done and have been plaguing me for weeks. I could sit here and bore you with it but why? I'm not going to get to them any quicker. I seriously need to get this "new baby in the house" mentality up and at'em. I have been so tired, sluggish and blah lately. I know it is just a phase but I need to shake it off. My bday is monday as a lot of you know or were just reminded. I intend on starting anew on Monday. 34 will bring back my energy, vivacity and Barbie-ness.

I pledge that I will

• begin to go to the gym 3 x's a week (not concentrating on weight loss but on getting my mojo back)
• enroll Saylor in a class for crawlers
• enroll Athena in swimming and skating (and take her)
• prep our groceries for the week's menu (washing, sorting, cutting, divvying)
• schedule our new babysitter once a week (even for two hours)
• schedule girl dates with Cindy, Dominique and Ursula
• get to bed by 10pm (absolute latest)
• pump twice instead of thrice a day to begin to bid my pump adieu

Ok, this is a good start. I have put it out there in the blogosphere. Thanks for reading :)

Thousand Word Thursday

New Game. Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat

7 months of Saylor Goodness

Just thought I would post a barrage of Saylor pictures taken yesterday. My camera is fickle and so is my internetz, so when I have a good connection I go for the gold.......sorry, a little Olympics humor.

For those tracking Hurricane Saylor, she is 17lbs of love, 26.5 inches (size 3 diapers ang 9-12 clothes!!!), eating 50/50 (formula and breast milk), wanting to eat WHATEVER we are, sleeping from 6:30pm to 5:30am...straight!!!, and crawling around the house making me crazy already. Athena and Saylor get along swimmingly and are so so sweet together it literally melts your heart.

Argh, who goes there????

Sippin' on formula and booby juice....laid back with my mind on my money adn my money on my mind....

Pfft. This is what Saylor thought of her photo shoot.

Do you know why ABA is so happy?????

Because she just found out (thanks danielle, and nancy) that her mother can change the ability for people (like yourselves) to leave comments on the blog. You can now leave comments without having to register a name with blogger. Yeehaw!

Some things I cannot believe were invented......

In some cases I feel like "hey, I could've thought of that" and others I am like "what were these people thinking". Either way, these items are imaginative...to say the least.

Really not that bad, as one of two parents who gives regular "caballo" rides, ingenious really.

There is something so wrong about this I can't even elaborate. Here is teh link if your interest is piqued....http://www.heelarious.com/index.php.

Now this I can get into. You have all thought it, so why not put it into action. Many a time I have thought of putting some swiffers on Saylor's little belly or knees and have her go to town.

Who thinks of this stuff? This is so creepy to me. Mickey Mouse/Michael Jackson....

http://www.zakeez.com/en/home/index.php

Ok, back to thinking what I could invent.........

Happy Monday,

Bar-b

Chewy or Crunchy?

Which do you prefer? I thought this whole time (almost 34 years) that I was a chewy kind of gal. I just assumed that chewy was better somehow, Michael is a chewy cookie lover so I guess I was too, just cuz. Well, last night it dawned on me. I am not a chewy cookie lover after all. I actually, think that I don't like chewy. I can't really pinpoint why I am just not digging them. I thought I would come over here and post about it since I love polls.......

So, are you chewy or crunchy.......or both :)

Love,
Bored Bar-b

08-08-08

Too cool. This won't happen again until 09-09-09 and so on and so forth. Actually, I guess the number fun ends 12-12-12, whoa, weird. Better live it up while I still can. Well, I don't even know if we will need to worry about it with the whole Mayan doomsday thingee, end of the world, thingee. Do you see what plain ramblings on a blog will do. Bring you to talk of the end of the world or spiritual enlightenment or geomagnetic reversal, asteroid strike or supernova.

Well this turned into a dark post indeed. Forgive my black humour but I must post a you tube link, let's discuss. Enya Style.

3,348,770 have viewed this youtube vid....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11iCmzGnOI8


I say, let's just live it up and on the 20th of Dec 2012 sleep with our babies in our beds (for those that don't already co-sleep) and pray, hard and see what happens. If nothing happens we can all blog about it the next day :)

Let me post something cute to get the apocalyptic taste out of my mouth...



much better,

happy friday ;)

Thousand Words Thursday

Happy *Thursday* Everyone! This is my favorite day of the week btw. Weird I know, but it is. It is the excitement of what is to come....the weekend. Sundays by default are my least favorite day, due to the upcoming work week. Not that it matters to me as my whole week meshes together like a big fondue. The big difference being I have Michael during the day and No Michael during the day.

New Game. Every thursday I will post a picture up on my blah blah blahg and let you all comment on what you think the subjects are saying/thinking. I cannot promise that this will be the only entry for the day, but, it will be the minimum. If I forget, someone remind me, stat.

Our Latest Family Pictures (attempts)

I am really worried (like Saylor in this picture) that we might never really have a good family portrait. Granted, it was my mother taking the pictures below with my cousin Jelly and sister Bibi trying to entertain the girls whilst snapping. How do they do it at the studios? Shannon, care to chime in? Whenever we would get one of the girls to look the other would writhe off, and if we had both of the kids sorted then it was us the adults....we just could not get it together.

Here are some cute ones we managed (out of many) to get.

What happened to this one? Where were we all looking at? Oh yes, the bird's nest outside and the photographer and the entertainer.

"Saylor, buck up sista, we aren't done just yet"

This one is a nostalgic piece. Bianca (Bibi) and I on the floor playing with "My Little Ponies" or shall I say "Our Little Ponies"....good times, good times. Circa 1984.