Travel Tips?

I am leaving for Utah in LESS than 48 hours.

I will be flying by myself with a loud two year old and a clingy one year old. Both of whom have attention spans of your average, umm, umm, toddlers.

To protect my sanity and the sanity of those next to me on the plane, I need some heavy ideas.

Anyone?...

you know you live in the middle of the forest...

When the kind of visitor you get at your back door is this.

This little guy shows up everyday around lunch time and puts his paws on our back door...I think he must have found a few un-eaten fruit snacks or a half eaten cookie, and now he comes looking for the same snacks every day.

You can imagine the pure delight of a two year old to see a wild animal only inches away. Jack will sit on the ground and watch the "coontz" shuffle around for food, and is ecstatic when the little animal puts his paws on the window next to Jack's face.

See you tomorrow our ring tail friend,,,I'm just hoping our encounters with you only occur when there is a huge glass door between us!

Only in Washington...

...Would you be playing on a playground at a beautiful park...



Then walk a few steps and have a little adventure in the jungle...



Then walk a few more steps and be at the beach...



And then walk a few more steps and be in the water...

Man, this place is cool.

Because I've been busting my buns...

...I get the right to take a moment or two to brag.

I stepped on the scale at the gym today and to my amazement and shock, I was only ONE pound away from my PRE-JACK Weight...no,no,no not my pre-Bianca weight, but indeed, PRE-JACK weight.

I win, you blasted "last ten pounds". I WIN!!

A few words...

...About a man that I think everyone should know a little bit about. A man that was more honest, humble, helpful, hardworking, and kind than anyone I have ever had the privilege of knowing. A man who could tell a great story and get everyone laughing. A man who loved and cherished his wife like something out of a fairytale, even at 75 years old. A man who would sneak you gummy bears or licorice even if your parents said you'd had enough. A man who was a great example to all who knew him...


Here's to a great man, and a fantastic grandpa!

Happy Memorial Day!

The bikini babe and a little fish...

Heaven forbid you all think I am the Bikini Babe. Not a chance. Ever.

But, this little darling can strut her stuff...I am a sucker for pink and ruffles.


We have had some Beautiful weather and our heated pool has just opened, which means you can probably find us in the water. Jack's obsession as of late is marine life. Sharks, whales, sting rays, crabs, and squid are the only things this kid can talk about.

So you can imagine his love for the pool. I have never seen a two year old swim ...it's actually quite a sight (I think he REALLY believes he's a shark). He gets his little legs kicking like a motor boat and the kid is unstoppable.

Unless of course the shark needs to rest...because all sharks have to take a break on the steps every now and then...



Is she sleeping or making sure she's getting an even tan. I will never know:



Just getting some exercise, gotta keep this Bikini bod in shape!

The race...

I ran the race, and survived! It was my first one and honestly, it wasn't too bad. I wasn't able to keep my goal of running under 10 minute miles...But I did keep a pace of 10 min. 15 sec. per mile. I have always run on a treadmill and didn't take into account what those blasted hills would do to me outside. oh well, live and learn, right?!

As nerdy or ridiculous as this my sound, I loved the energy in the atmosphere during the race. It was exhilarating to have people sitting on the side lines cheering you on. At the finish line there were hundreds of people clapping and screaming for each person coming in. It didn't matter if you were the guy in first place, two ladies that walked and came in last, or me, the girl smack in the middle...we all got the same energetic reception. it was wonderful.

I was hoping to post a really great picture of me looking my absolute best, but unfortunately not one of us remembered to bring cameras...but don't worry, the city they took some photos while we were running and as soon as they are posted I promise I will put it, no matter how terrifying it might be!

oh, and I thought I should mention, my two lightening fast sister in laws ran the half and both kept paces under 9 minutes for all 13 miles. You guys rock.

Bowing out...

The big half-marathon is this weekend. You know, the one I have been training for for the last five months. I regret to inform you all that I am graciously bowing out of the run and demoting myself to the 10K. I don't really want paramedics scooping me up off of the ground around mile 7...and trust me, they would be. The 10K shouldn't be too bad, I am going to try and keep it under 10 minutes per mile. My two power-runner sister in laws are going for the half, and they are going to destroy it...man those chicks are amazing.

An update, and maybe even a sweat drenched, red faced picture to come!

p.s. I am not all disappointed in myself for not being ready for the half...all things in due time!

Sometimes, you just need to put them in a laundry basket...

I just needed fifteen minutes today. Fifteen minutes to finish folding a batch of laundry (which by the way, is IMPOSSIBLE to do with a 2 and 1 year old around) and cleaning up the house. With bianca still being sick and Jack close to nap time, I needed something genius to slightly confine them, without them KNOWING that there were being confined, and with out them being confined too close together (that never ends well).

I'm such a sneaky mom.

They never knew what hit them.

Take away my Mother Badge...

You know how people always talk about "mother's intuition", and how moms just "know" when something is wrong with their child. Well apparently the gene that carries on this special power skipped right over me.

Bianca has been very sick for three days now. I'm talking sick like 103.7 degree fever and completely lethargic and fussy. That kind of sick.

"Take her to the doctor" my sweet, insistent hubby said after the first day.

My response was something like "Oh, she's fine...kids get fevers all the time. She probably just has a cold like every other kid on the planet."

So after three days of being in denial that something could ACTUALLY be wrong, I took her it the doctor. I was ready to pay my 15 dollar co-pay, have the doctor tell me she has a cold, and be on my way.

Wait...not so fast.

Not only does she NOT have a cold,

she has a Urinary Tract Infection

AND

an ear infection.

hmmm...so these three days of having a completely miserable baby could have been avoided if my "mothers intuition" would have kicked in?!? Or if I would have had enough common sense in the first place to just take her in.

Arghh...sometimes I wonder who thought I was responsible enough to be a mom...oh wait, I thought I was that responsible. Silly me.

Just Saying Hi

And then I take the plunge...

When I was young and immature, like in my early twenties, I vowed I would NEVER be like my mom...all crafty. I thought cute paper and ribbon was vomit inducing. The mere thought of going into a craft store was enough to send chills down my spine.

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Then something changed.

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Some light clicked on in my head.

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I'm not sure what is was, or who is responsible, but suddenly the craft store became like a haven to me. I can walk up and down row after row of paper and dream up ideas and projects in my head. I LOVE Ribbon and brads, and paint. Home depot has become a regular stop for me...I am probably the only mother-with-two-children-in-the-cart that walks up and down the aisles in the lumber section.

With all of that being said, I finally decided to get serious about the crafting business. I have purchased a Vinyl Cutter. This isn't your pathetic little Cricut machine...this bad boy is meant for the serious crafter. I have been buying my vinyl for all my signs from a sweet lady in Utah, but my orders were getting bigger and bigger and I was spending too much money.

Now my possibilities are endless...wall art, more detailed signs and magnet boards...plus, I have completely widened my profit margins. $$cha-ching$$

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Move over Uppercase Living...jill springer is in town.

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stay tuned for MUCH more to come.