Thursday, June 30, 2011

It's hard work.

I caught Skylar totally stressing out while trying to feed her baby. She kept sighing and wiping her brow and saying "it's not perfect!" because the nipple didn't fit in the baby's mouth. Perfect is her standard for everything. It doesn't matter how many times I tell her it doesn't have to be perfect. We have a serious perfectionist on our hands.With that raggedy hair and stained shirt she definitely looked the part of a stressed out housewife and I couldn't help but wonder.....is this what I look like everyday? Is she acting like me right now?Is she an emotional wreck all the time because I'm an emotional wreck and don't even realize it? I don't feel stressed out, but maybe I am.


Let me tell you, this little girl has been putting me through the wringer and I am WORN OUT. She has had the worst attitude and she argues with me all.day.long. And stomps her feet. And yells. And today she even spit. (Spit??? Seriously?) This morning she drew all over a couch cushion with a marker. I don't know what happened to my sweet little girl. I want this monster to go find a new home.


Meanwhile the real baby was happily laying on his mat trying to nurse on his hood. I'm so thankful he can't talk yet.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Around here.

We are enjoying summer. As in, the best season of the whole year, summer.

Granted it topped out at 62 degrees today, which I guess is winter to some people, but it's just getting started around here. The schools have only been out for 3 days now.
We are taking full advantage of the summer things: splash parks, afternoon strolls around the neighborhood, farmers markets, the "beaches" of Lake Ontario, and all the amazing summer produce. Oh and mojitos, let us not forget those.

Several times a day Skylar asks to go pick strawberries in the backyard. She likes picking her own snack. They taste like pink bubblegum. I have no idea why. I should google it.


It amazes me that she has to put all five fingers in her mouth just to get one tiny strawberry in there, lest one should get away.

I am loving every new flower and bush that blooms in the yard, and I'm so grateful that somebody before me was the mastermind and I just get to reap the benefits. I'm taking pictures of them all so that I can recreate it someday wherever we end up. Unless we are nomads forever.

I am hating that the fence still isn't white because we didn't have three consecutive dry days to get it done before all the bushes and foliage grew up around it. Whatevs. (I hate when people say whatevs).

We've been watching our neighbors get new siding on their house. It started out white, underneath the white it was blue, under that there is stucco.......it reminds me of a box, inside of a box, inside of a box....I feel like once they tear off all the layers it will be a little tiny shed. Ultimately it's going to end up sage green with black shutters. Cute.



I feel like I'm on vacation right now because both kids were asleep by 6:15. I don't know how I got so lucky. One night this week Skylar went to bed at 5:30. She slept in until 9 am the next morning. For reals. (I hate when people say "for reals").


I am delving into my new project: a budget friendly family/office/playroom redo. It all started with the carpet.

We decided to replace the grody old carpet that is neither kid nor pet friendly. Micah mentioned that if I wanted to paint, now was the time to do it before the new carpet was installed. So I thought about that for about 2.5 seconds (I mean hello...he was offering) and ran to Home depot where I purchased a gallon of paint that would later play an integral role in my worst day ever ever ever. (I didn't even bother blogging my worst day ever ever ever because it happened right before vacation and then I told so many people in person that I kind of worked it out of my system. But trust me, it was BAD).


Anyway, I am in the process of painting a serene blue shade (still on the blue kick...I'm sure it will wear off by our next move) over the existing gold. I have learned my lesson with blue. I only like it when it has lots of grey in it. You can't tell in the picture.

I do love how gratifying a coat of paint can be. Like freshly painted toe nails, but so much better. (I think toe nails should always be painted--preferably red in the fall/winter and hot pink in the spring/summer).

So of course, new carpet and new paint means I get to make some new curtains. And for my birthday Micah is letting me get a slipcover made for the day sofa that is machine washable, instead of the crappy canvas one that World Market sold me that can only be dry cleaned and shrinks in the wash even when it's air-dried. I found that out when I washed it. (I forgive you World Market, I can't stay mad at you for long. I miss you.)

Then I plan to paint and distress some of the existing furniture that is already in there--most of it hand-me-downs or yard sale finds from my single days. And a new toy/bookshelf unit is in the works to contain all the office stuff/toys/books/etc.

So that's my new project to fill the evening hours. Maybe a little Keeping Up with the Kardashians thrown in to stimulate the brain while I work.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Can I get an ewwwwww?

So I think I previously mentioned that I quit cooking when Micah left. It was kind of like a gift to myself. Some women get pedis and manis or massages to get them through the year....I decided to take a culinary vacation.

I really do like cooking, but only when I have people to cook for. Who wants to roast a chicken for a two year old who isn't going to eat it anyway? And it seems like every time we get together for dinner with someone it's a potluck and I'm the salad girl.

So here it is....

You know you have completely forsaken cooking when you find rotten butternut squash and other unidentifiable root vegetables from last fall in the back of the onion/potato drawer that you never ever open anymore.

I just forgot they were there. For eight months I've only opened it a few inches to grab an occasional onion in the very front. And oddly, it hasn't smelled.

Nasty, nasty, nasty.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Getting close....

Guess who gets to meet his daddy in ONE week?

Woo-hoo!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

And then you grow up.

It's such a bummer that some of the things you think are so amazing as a kid completely lose their magic as an adult.I was really excited to take Skylar to the beach.
She's only been once, and never in the summer. She loved it. She was both thrilled and terrified by the waves. And loved the sand. Rolled in the sand. Got herself soaking wet and rolled in the sand again. And again. And again. And.....ohmygosh somebody please make it stop!!!!And suddenly, as a parent faced with the prospect of removing all of those grains of sand from her little body, the stroller, the bags, the shoes........the beach wasn't so fun for me anymore.
I was completely stressed out watching her fill every nook and cranny with sand. I realized I really could do without it. The salt water isn't all that fun either. And sharks can eat you. I never even thought about sharks when I swam in the ocean until I had children.

I'd take a nice chlorinated lazy river over a swim in the ocean any day. And I never thought I'd say that. I'm a sell out.

A walk on the beach is nice. But that's about it.

Finley slept through his first day at the beach, which is just as well.
He's really more of a lazy river kind of guy. (And if I could have photo-shopped a Corona in his little hand, I totally would have).

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Because your life just wouldn't be complete.....

....without seeing a picture of this ginormous cabbage. Keep in mind Finley is roughly the size of a 6 month old.

Bigger than a full sized watermelon......

It was grown in North Carolina and gifted to my Aunt and Uncle, The Right Reverend Brown, by a parishioner. (Just another reason to go into the ministry, right? Over-sized produce capable of feeding a family for a week is a serious job perk).

Now go have yourself a great day.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Road Warriors.

These two little people have spent well over 30 hours in the car, driven through 9 states, slept in lots of different beds, and been squeezed by lots of different people in the last 2 1/2 weeks. They are both AMAZING travelers. I think they'll be doing lots of bonding in the back seat in the years to come.

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