Friday, May 29, 2009

aloha friday #14

alohafriday

Welcome to Aloha Friday! 

If you want to play along visit An Island Life!

Two weeks ago I asked what time you go to bed (and there are a ton of night-owls out there).

So, my question this week:

What time to you usually get up in the morning? 

My alarm is set for 5:10 am.  I get up to read blogs and exercise before my children get up (and before my husband leaves for work).  My alarm rarely goes off.  Most days I usually wake up around 4:45. 

On the weekends I “sleep in” until sometime between 6 and 7! 

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

scare tactics

It all starts innocently enough.

I might be walking along, minding my own business, when I see the signs all around me:

“This is the perfect opportunity to scare somebody.”

And by somebody I mean my husband. It’s not like I get these impulses in public, ready to pounce on the next unsuspecting shopper who dares enter the toiletry aisle I happen to be loitering in at Target.

That would be wrong. And a little mental. So cross “scare stranger in public places” off the list.

And I probably certainly won’t try to scare my children.

So, my husband it is.

Take this weekend for example.

I was walking downstairs, early in the morning, with absolutely NO intention of doing anything other than heading towards the coffee.

But, ahead of me, I saw it.

The perfect opportunity.

My husband had gone outside to get the paper.

He left the front door open.

I was pretty sure he was unaware I had gotten up and was headed downstairs.

So, without thinking much about the potential consequences, I hop behind the front door, waiting for his return.

Then, as he comes back inside, I pop out, yelling the classic and very important scaring line of “BOO!”.

Nope, he didn’t know I was up.

The look on his face was priceless.

I scared him, and I scared him good.

Now, I am no fool. I do not pretend to presume that I can scare somebody like that (and by “somebody” I mean my husband) without anticipating some sort of retaliation.

And I HATE to be scared. Just hate it.

So, for days afterward I will be “on the prowl”. Seeing a partially open door and wondering who (and by who I mean my husband) might be lurking behind, waiting for revenge.

And retaliate he does.

And yet, even armed with the knowledge that if I simply stopped scaring him I could probably rest easy, I just can’t resist these “opportunities” when they are so blatantly there for the taking.

But no one can charge me with pre-meditated scaring.

It all starts innocently enough….

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

jump start: a review

I giddily agreed to this product review quite a while back – it was my first “approach” and I was happy just to be contacted!  So I immediately signed on.  As my blogging has progressed I have come to the conclusion that product reviews are just not really “my thing” and probably not something you will see much of here.  It takes away from cute pictures of my children!! 

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This review might be for you if you have children ages 3-10, especially if they enjoy using the computer as a learning tool. 

About Jumpstart

JumpStart®, an award-winning brand from Knowledge Adventure®, has set the standard in kid’s educational software for over 15 years. Today, the JumpStart experience is more engaging, interactive and fun than ever! In 2009, we introduced JumpStart.com, an online adventure where 3-10 year old kids master the skills needed to succeed in school and in life through exploration, discovery and learning. By blending interactive adventures and award-winning learning games into a safe, customizable online world, JumpStart inspires minds and JumpStarts self-confidence…the fun way.

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This site is a “beta”, which means over the next year or so they will continue to add to and enhance the virtual world. 

My daughter is only 3 and does not spend time on the computer, so I found her a little too young to help me review this land in earnest. She really liked helping me make her avatar, picking the hair and the outfit, and we did spend a some time in Storyland (appropriate for ages 3-5).  The activities seem really fun, and a more computer savvy child would have a lot of fun exploring the sites, playing the games, and learning along the way!  I would definitely consider this as a learning tool for her when she gets a little older. 

For parents, visit the JumpStart blog.  There they will be posting articles about topics that matter to parents, including tips for raising happy kids and tools that help make learning fun.  Here are some of their recent posts:

They also have a Just For Fun page with lots of great craft ideas along with tricks and games!

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Monday, May 25, 2009

Happy memorial day

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

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Now this is funny.....

If you need a laugh check out this website:

Awkward Family Photos

Let's all aspire to have our own family photos posted here. :-)

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Random picture challenge 13.0

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16th picture folder
28th picture
or
August 2008 {my 16th picture folder}
28th picture

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August 16th, 2008.  MOVING DAY!!  On this wonderful day we moved to our new home.  I am not sure why Hannah is wearing jeans because it was one of the hottest days of the year (perfect for moving lots of stuff, right?). 

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

aloha friday #13

alohafriday

Welcome to Aloha Friday! If you want to play along, visit Island Life!

My question for this week is very selfish of me, but here goes:

Will you please click this link and vote for my son (by simply clicking on the stars)?

Thanks to all who already voted, and if you want to skip this and move along I totally understand!

Hope you all have a beautiful holiday weekend!!

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

Please vote for eli!

I submitted a photo of my son to New Parent and they picked him as their baby of the week!

Please go check it out, and if you’re willing, vote for us!! If we get enough votes he could win the cover baby contest later this year!

And I for one think he’s worth it. ;-)

Here is the link!! You have until Sunday to vote!

http://newparent.com/featured/elliot/

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girls day out

Two tickets to see “Elmo’s Green Thumb”: $50

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Popcorn: $5

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Balloon: $10

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The look on my daughter’s face when she thought Oscar might come down to the front: Priceless.

“I DON’T WANT THE GRUMPY PEOPLE TO COME DOWN HERE!!”

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Spending quality alone time with my daughter: Priceless.

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

RAndom picture challenge 12.0

RandomPicturebutton

9th picture folder
or September 2008
18th picture

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September 2008 – My sister and her family were up visiting and we went to a nearby farm/park.  I love this picture of me and my little guy, who was about 5 months old here. 

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Great Google Reader!

Anyone else fighting a losing battle trying to access unread blog posts via Google Reader?

Or is it just me??

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My daughter and I were discussing safety and what to do if something happened to one of us, and she was telling me if I got in trouble she would run and find help. So I asked her how she would describe me if she needed to and the first thing she said is:

"well, she has a round head...",

which I suppose would really help single me out from all the square, triangle, and rectangular head-shaped moms out there.

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aloha friday #12

alohafriday

Welcome to Aloha Friday! This is a great chance to get to know each other by doing a little Q & A. If you want to play along, visit An Island Life!

Here is my question:

What time do you typically go to bed?

Most nights, I am in bed between 9:15 and 9:30 and I usually read for about 30 minutes (if I can make it that long!).

Hope you all have a great weekend!

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I heart faces kids: laughter

Button - Kids

This photo was taken in Hawaii.  Eli had just gotten up from his nap and we were getting him ready for some family pictures.  Fortunately he woke up in a good mood and was amenable to some belly tickles! 

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Visit I Heart Faces for all of this week’s fabulous pictures!

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the top 10 things I wish I wrote less in my blog comments

  1. Cute!
  2. LOL!
  3. Great pictures!!
  4. :-)
  5. ;-)
  6. Beautiful!!
  7. Love it!!
  8. Too funny!!
  9. Haha!
  10. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Every day I read and comment on a lot of blogs.  I like to think I can come up with creative, witty responses.  And sometimes I do.  But often my comments consist of and/or include one – or more – of the above. 

With LOTS of exclamation points!!!

After all, I AM trying to convey my excitement and/or interest in your post. 

Sometimes I want to challenge myself.  “No “cutes” today!”.  But it hasn’t happened yet. 

Because truly, many pictures I see out there are just too darn cute. 

But I have my trusty thesaurus nearby so don’t be surprised if I suddenly start spouting phrases like:

  1. “Why, that is simply delightful!”
  2. “What a charming post!”
  3. “How quaint!"
  4. “That is one awe-inspiring story!”
  5. “Your images are breathtaking!”
  6. “Impressive!”
  7. “Wow, your words were just spine-tingling!”
  8. “Your pictures are dynamite!”
  9. “Your blog post was insightful and not at all loquacious!”
  10. “I’m simply flabbergasted by your mesmerizing story!”

You get the idea.

I’ve got a thesaurus at hand and thousands of new words to try out. 

But don’t be surprised if I stick to “cute”. 

And as always, plenty of !!!!!!!!

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Tess

I am not exactly positive what our new cats name is. I thought I was told “Tessa”. But I have also heard “Tessie”, and “Tess” thrown around. My daughter has taken to calling her “T”.

This has been T’s base of operation for the past week:

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Our guest room. See that little lump? Yep, that’s the cat.

And now, her debut appearance:

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I was actually worried about how our other cat would react to T, but Tawny could care less. Tess is actually the one hissing and running from Tawny. But I am sure they will become friends, eventually.

The dog also has no problem with either cat and proceeds to ignore them both as much as possible.

Tess is coming out to visit much more often. She is very friendly.

Baxter got his staples out today!! I am thrilled to be done with the cone head – he just could not figure out his new “width” and was constantly hitting things with his cone head. He has knocked over my kids more than once! And I can’t wait for him to have a bath!!!

Baxter’s pathology report graded the tumor at a low “2”, which means we just have to keep an eye on it at this point.

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As you saw from my “10 on the 10th” post, I had a wonderful Mother’s Day. We were in Seattle to celebrate my husband’s birthday. But it was Mother’s Day when we woke up, so I am claiming a bit of the festivities for my own too!

We enjoyed our night out, and I didn’t miss the kids one bit!

Okay, maybe I missed them a little…..

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