Happy St. Patty's Day!

While my days of sitting in a pub drinking green beer are long gone, its been replaced with another St. Patty's Day tradition. 

Actually, my husband and kids participate. 
I let them have their fun. 
Then I let them clean up. 
I'll explain.

Every year, my kids try to catch a leprechaun.  They are sneaky, smart and not easily caught. Actually, not ever caught.  (I'm talking about the leprechauns, here.)  That never stops my kids from setting a trap and putting out the fake gold coins as a lure.  This year, they tried to catch him in the wicker chest where we store the extra blankets. 

Didn't work.

Instead, we got a messy living room. 
The little stool was upturned. 
The sofa cushions and pillows were all over the floor. 
The gold coins were scattered around. 
Magazines were tossed about. 
And a note was left: 

Favorite things...

One of the things I can't live without (especially when I travel) is Downey Wrinkle Releaser.  (Disclaimer:  They are not paying me to write this...they don't know me or even care who I am.)

Not only does it have that fresh-out-of-Mom's-laundry-room scent, but it works like a charm. 

Just spread the garment on your bed or any hard surface,
lightly mist the surface,
then smooth it with your hands. 

Easy as pie.  It works best with knit cottons.  Wovens tend to need a hot iron, but I have to admit that I've gotten by in a pinch using it on wovens.  Love it.  Can't live without it. 

You should try it.  You can buy it in a little travel size to test it out.  Hint:  I even use it when I iron...which admittedly isn't very often!

I admit that I buy a lot of my clothes at Costco and Target.  I don't always have time to get to the mall (sorry Macy's, don't be jealous!) and I seem to be at Costco once a week.  Don't even get me started on how often I'm at Target. 

(Hint:  I've been there twice in one day before...but don't tell anyone.  Its a little embarassing.)  I stopped wearing khaki pants with a red top (no matter how cute the top) because once, at Target, I was asked where the toothpaste aisle was.

I really didn't think shopping for clothes at Costco or Target was big deal until the fashion police, aka: other moms, started noticing.  Which made me wonder...if they don't buy clothes there, then how did they know that was where I bought mine?  Come on, people, who can resist a $7 v-neck tshirt from Target?  You can't tell me that you can walk by the massive area in the middle of Costco with all those flat tables piled with clothes and not take a look.  The printed and sequined tshirts for $12.99?  The Gloria Vanderbilt stretch jeans for $16.99?  The down filled vest with a fake fur collar for $24.99?  I know the mom down the street got her new Seven Jeans at Costco for $99.99, don't tell me she didn't.

Look, I'm all about comfortable clothes I can throw in the washer and dryer.  I'm a sucker for a good sale/good price/good deal.  Yes, looking cute is important, too.   That's why, my friends, I accessorize my Target and Costco clothes.

More on the importance of accessorizing later...

Gettin' old...

I turned 40 last October.

I now have 3 gray hairs and need reading glasses. 

You'd think the gray hair would be easy to cover up, but when I tried to dye my hair the same shade of basic brown to hide it, my hair turned red.  So I tried a darker color.  It was dark for a day, then turned red.  So I bought special "color-safe" shampoo and conditioner and tried again.  It turned red.  I went to my hair stylist.  It washed out.  And turned red.  So now I'm stuck as a redhead.  I'll try again, but I want to give my hair a break.  Meanwhile, I have a nice brown skunk stripe at my root line.

My DH has been bugging me to go to the optometrist since I went last time...three years ago.  I really hate going there because as we speak, my eyes burn just a bit everytime I blink.  Those yellow drops are a really good nap deterent because no way would I lay down for a little shut eye right now (and trust me, its the perfect cold and rainy day for that). 

So three years ago, I was border-line if I needed reading glasses to I opted not to get them.  Now, I can tell a difference as I move my book a little further from my face when I read and have begrudgingly decided to get them...for READING ONLY.  I was offered bifocals so I could just wear them all the time, uh, no thanks.  Not that there's anything wrong with glasses...but its a reminder that I'm getting older. 

The glasses I picked out are kinda cute, though. 

I was at Target a little while ago to grab a few things and I happened to walk down the seasonal home decor aisle.  There are cute little Valentine's Day frames, red pillows, throw rugs and a few pictures to hang on the wall.  There were some candles, nice vases and seashells for spring decorating. 

Next to the seashells was a 5 pound container of sand. 

Beach sand.  Light brown, fine grain beach sand. 

In case I've never mentioned it...I live in San Diego.  Now, I do live inland about 20 minutes from the closest breaking wave, but still. 

Sand.  Target sells little containers of sand.

Because I have a retail background, I understand and appreciate why Target changes out the back to school supply section with Halloween in August (and includes a back corner with Christmas basics).  I  understand why Valentine's Day and Christmas overlap.  I get why St. Patrick's Day only gets an endcap display and since its January, I'm prepared to see summer lawn chairs in the next few weeks.

Retailers like Target and Walmart have strictly timed floor models that they adhere to whether you're in San Diego or St. Paul.  It makes sense for merchandise flow reasons.  They can ship certain merchandise for all stores at the same time.  You can walk into a Target in any town and know that it looks just like the Target 1,000 miles away.  I bought my kids new ski pants in October when it was 90 degrees out.

The only variance I've noticed is that our Target sells sunblock year-round.  They didn't used to.  It used to come out with the summer merchandise and disappear when Halloween popped up.  They finally got wise to lost sales and began stocking sunblock year round.

But selling sand in San Diego?

New Year Organizing

I always get an organizing bug at the beginning of the year.  Actually, I always have it, but its worse every January. 

I clean closets out.
I purge the office.
I shred things.
I call Amvets for a pick up.

I've unloaded so much stuff I can't believe there's not more room under my bathroom sink.  I threw out old conditioners, lotions, half empty bottles of hairspray and checked all the medicine expiration dates.  (That's an important one!)  I also found some Zicam, which I just found out was recalled.

I got rid of clothes that I didn't wear for the last two summers.  I got rid of dingy socks.  (Santa brought me new ones!)  I purged my daughter's room, too.  There were clothes that she had out grown...in taste and size.  I also filled a kitchen garbage bag with paper to recycle.  She loves to draw, write, make up menus, design clothes and generally waste paper.  I shouldn't admit this, but I buy boxes of paper from Costco.  You know the kind that has 8 reams in it?  I donate some to school, of course, because they can't afford it, the rest stays here and slowly dwindles over the course of the year. 

Anyways, I cleaned out my kitchen drawers, too.  I have so many utensils and gadgets that I never use.  They just take up space...so they're sitting in the Amvets thrift store, too.  I got into the bottom of my dining room hutch and got rid of old candles, candle holders and vases that didn't mean anything to me.  I have a lot of things that were wedding gifts that are still sitting in their original boxes, but I can't bear to part with them.

I'm hoping to get a trash bin one day soon so I can chuck a bunch of stuff.  You know, old lawn chairs, the wheelbarrow with the hole in the middle and the flat tire, the parts of the old built in sandbox that my son used once.  (I never let my daughter play in it, it was too gross!)  If I'm lucky, I can get my husband to climb up to the rafters and see what we can get rid of up there, too!!

It feels so good to purge-toss-organize. Next up...the office...

A day in my life...

I joined a new gym today.  Its called The House.  Its not one of those New Year's Resolutions...it had more to do with the fact that my insurance company approved the monthly membership to be reimbursed through our benefits program.  We were out of moola in our benefits for 2009, so I'm starting it up in 2010.  (I have to wonder if this will still be an option in a few years when the Gov't takes over healthcare.  I'm taking yoga, its preventative, so I'll go out on a limb and say 'no', it won't be covered.)

Anywho, I took a svaroopa yoga class.  For those of you not up on your yoga terminology, its a relaxive (is that even a word?) gentle form of yoga designed to open up your spine and the muscles around it.  (Did you hear my voice get soft, gentle and slow when I said that?)  That's why I need yoga...apparently I have scoliosis according to my Dr.  Must be adult-on set.
"Quit that aerobics class and get into yoga.  You need to strengthen your back," she scolded me last time I was there. 

All I know is my great grandmother was nearly bent in half, bless her heart and I don't want to end up that way.  So I'm taking yoga. 

It was pretty relaxing, I have to admit.  You need five heavy blankets.  Yes, five.  Very heavy wool blankets.  You fold and bolster them to put under your knees while lying on your back.  You also use them folded up in different yoga positions.  It was pretty interesting and the instructor was very nice, stopping to show me where to put the folded blankets.  The class was much busier than I thought it would be...I think I'll go back on Thursday.  It seems to work pretty well if I run at the park after I drop the kids, then head to the gym. 

Time to get back into a new routine for the new year.

I like to take pictures of flowers.  I'm no fancy-smansy photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but I like to take pictures of flowers and landscape, have a bunch printed out, then make cards out of them.  You can go to a craft store (or scrapbook store) and buy blank note cards and envelopes.  Paste the picture on the front and voila!!!  You have a nice note card.  Since people rarely send letters any more, everyone enjoys a nice note card. 

Here is a pic I've used to make a note card:

I love petunias.  Have you ever noticed that they're sticky?  I love them, though, they're so bright.  And speaking of bright...

Here is another picture:

These are ranaculas.  They only bloom for about a month each year.  What color!!

I'll post more pics when I can find them in my vault of picures. 

Favorite things...

I found a new favorite thing.  Its cool.  It saved me a bunch of money, but more on that later. 

Its called Lemi Shine.
(Disclaimer:  I don't know anyone at Lemi Shine, they aren't paying me a dime, not even in free Lemi Shine.)

Let me back up a little.  A few months ago, I was ready to head to Sears to look for a new dishwasher.  Mine was almost 8 years old and I thought a new one might get my dishes cleaner and get rid of those awful spots on my glasses.  They were looking milky, not clear. 

Then I thought about it.  Maybe I should just get new glasses.  After all, they were almost 8 years old.  (Sensing a theme here?  Yes, I moved into my house almost 8 years ago.)  Then I was reading my favorite blog, The Pioneer Woman, and she mentioned Lemi Shine.  I thought, a $3.49 fix might be more cost effective than a new dishwasher OR new glasses.  So I ran to Target, bought some, ran home and started the diswasher.  Lo and behold, my glasses looked better. 

A week later, the white scalely build up at the bottom of my dishwasher was gone. 

I'm telling you, this stuff is amazing.  A miralce.  A $3.49 fix.  One of my most favorite things.

Christmas is two days away!!

...and I still have some things to do. 

My husband called me this morning from work with a new gift idea for himself.  Good thing, too, because he really doesn't give me a whole lot to go on.  Stocking stuffers are the hardest.   I think he gets tired of dental floss, chapstick and deoderant every year.  Time to mix it up a bit.  I threw a movie in there this year.

The peanuts, on the other hand...
They are little list-makers just like their mama!!  (So proud of them!)  No shortage of ideas for them.  They handwrite a list, then print it out on the computer, complete with Santa clipart from Yahoo images.  I have to admit, though, stocking stuffers for a 10 year old boy is hard.  I'm pretty sure he doesn't want deoderant.

I think I'm easy to shop for.  I like books, clothes, scrapbooking, massages, mani-pedis, running and vacuuming (but I already have a Dyson, so...).  I like gift cards, too.  Who doesn't?  I know some people think that they're impersonal to give, but I don't think they're impersonal to recieve.  The amount doesn't even really matter...$5, $25, $50...I tend to put the amount 'towards' something I want.  Trust me, I have no gift cards with small balances.  I use those babies up completely!!

So back to Christmas being 2 days away.  Hmmmm....little more shopping, little more wrapping, bake a couple of cookies and I'm good to go!!

Making a list...checking it twice...

I'm a list maker.  I love to make list.  I like to wake up in the morning and make a list of what I need to do that day. 

It usually looks like this:
  take kids to school
   run @ park
   shower
   Costco
   laundry
   clean showers
   vacuum


Vacuum is almost always on my list.  Love to vacuum.  (Who would't with my Dyson?)

My list might seem boring to some, okay, to most, alright...to everyone.  But when I get something done and cross it off my list (even a given, like 'take kids to school') I feel like I've accomplished things that day.  Since I don't have a regular work day anymore, or a boss breathing down my neck, I realized that I have to be accountable to myself. 

Every now and again I chill out and watch a movie on Lifetime.  I'm usually under the weather, though.  I'd have a hard time sitting on the sofa knowing that weeds are growing, dust is settling and lists need to be made.

I have other lists, too, other than my 'to-do' list.  I always have a Costco, Target and grocery list.  This lists are purely functional because I'm a planner.  I plan our weekly meals. 

But more on that later.
  

What to do next?

Its not as if I have nothing to do right now. There's plenty. I just don't know where to start.

Plan meals for the next few days, make a shopping list and get my butt to the store?

Wrap some presents while the kids aren't looking?

Start another load of laundry?

Go for a run?

I know what I'd like to do...
Cozy up under a blanket and watch a movie. Doesn't matter what the movie is, I'll be asleep inside of 10 minutes anyways!

I can't run because I don't want to leave one of my peanuts home alone. (One is at soccer with Dad.)
I already did 2 loads of laundry. That's pretty productive in my book.
I need to wait until the kids are gone to wrap. I'll get busted if I don't.
I guess I'll meal-plan and get ready to shop.

But wait...what is my peanut watching now?  Is that a blanket next to him?

Took a year off...

I haven't been on much lately...for more than a year, but then again, my audience hasn't exactly been burning up my inbox with requests for more insightful posts. I really want to get back into this blogging thing, but seriously, life gets in the way. So what have I been up the past year?

I got on Facebook, which is really cool, but not really. Complete waste of time checking to see who is busy that day, who is bored, who hates the weather where they are and who just saw the latest movie. The cool part is reconnecting with friends. I have to say that there have been some suprises, some good news, some not so good news and a few announcements.

I've been working on Abigail, my first book. I told my husband that it is either "okay" or it "really sucks". I'm still not sure where it lands. I know it needs work and character development, but at least the basic story is down.

I've been doing yardwork. Its like laundry. It never ends.

I planned a big family trip that we took over the summer. I'll boil it down to 13 towns, 8 hotels, 4 national parks, countless restaurants, 4,000 miles on a rental car and 1 cracked windshield. My husband laughed when I pulled out the 4" binder complete with dividers that mapped out our trip. Seriously. I printed out directions from one place to the next, printed tickets for things were were doing, printed out hotel reservations...what can I say? I'm neurotic that way. Its okay. I'm happy that way. Did I mention that the binder was also in chronological order? The binder ended up being useful, too, because we could add brochures and reciepts we picked up along the way.

So I didn't find a cure for cancer or solve the financial mess of the world in the last year, but I was busy.

global warming?

I love this article!!!

The headline on the Drudgereport is: Cyclists 'braved freezing cold temps' to promote global warming awareness...

This would be funny if it wasn't so ridiculous!!

Why I don't buy the good candy for halloween

I bought our Halloween candy at Costco yesterday. (Walmart seemed expensive...can you believe it? They wanted $12.97 for a kinda little bag.) I admit it. I didn't buy the good stuff. I don't think my husband has seen the bags yet, in fact I know he hasn't.

I'd know it if he did.

I got A & W Rootbeer barrels. Laffy Taffy. Werthers drops. Twizzlers. Smarties. DumDums. Need I go on? Not the good stuff. There's no chocolate or bubblegum. But here's my theory:

My peanuts will get good candy. They'll get plenty of chocolate and bubblegum. I don't need the good stuff sitting around the house. Its too tempting. Some would argue that kids will label us a 'lame candy house'. I beg to differ. I give out handfuls. The kids don't really see whats in the bowl...I hold it up higher than their little heads. Then I drop a handful in their bag, bucket, pillowcase. They know they got a handful, but they won't know exactly what they got from me, because its all mixed up anyways! (I AM smarter than a 5th grader!)

So, I'm just waiting now for my husband to notice the lame candy bags on the counter.

Wha?

I had a 'blech' moment yesterday. Did I spell that right?

I was at a public place and a mom was sitting on a bench with a wiggly toddler. She was trying to feed him but he wanted to see what was happening around him. Ahhhh, I remember the days. You get one spoonful in them and they're wiggling around to see what caused the noise behind them. They sit up, they flop backwards. They try to stand up. I had to give the mom credit for being patient. She set the little container she was feeding him out of on the arm of the bench to rearrange him in her lap.

That's when I had my 'blech' moment.

She was feeding him Taco Bell refried beans. Now, keep in mind that he's about 8 months old. Maybe I'm crazy, but it never would have crossed my mind to feed either one of my peanuts Taco Bell at that age. (I'm not opposed to Taco Bell, I lived on it in high school, back in the day.) I don't think I can name a mom who fed their kids Taco Bell refried beans at that age. My older peanut has had Taco Bell twice, my youngest...never.

I hope I wiped the look of suprise off my face before she saw me. All I could think of was how much sodium was in that little container of beans. I don't want to judge anyone, but I'm thinking that the side of beans was about $1.50 (dunno, like I said, its been a while.) I'm sure she could have gotten a jar or two of baby food for the same amount.

Blech.

life gets in the way

Life has definately gotten in the way of my blogging lately. I can't say that my life is crazy hectic right now, its actually moving along at a nice clip. Not too busy, not bored silly. I've been running the kids to soccer and dance, volunteering in both classes, trying to do yard work when needed. I got all of my fall decor up last week and I have to say that I LOVE my fall decorations! Right now it's a mix of Halloween and fall, with some Thanksgiving thrown in. After Halloween, the spider webs, witches and pumpkins will go a way and more Thanksgiving things will come out. After Thanksgiving, of course the Christmas will come out. (I can say Christmas, right? Its my blog, so I don't need to be politically correct. Anyone who knows me and is reading this knows that I'm Catholic and celebrate Christmas.) So the fall silk leaf swags and pilgrim people will be packed away and out will come the pine swags, burgundy and gold candles, pinecones and santa collection. The stockings will be hung by the chimney with care, the giant wreath will hang over the garage. My DH will go crazy trying to read his handmade map of where all the lights get plugged in. Creative profanities will be muttered under his breath.
All of this will happen IF...life doesn't get in the way!

When Stinker the Pumpkin grows up...

Check out this link...http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/10/03/pumped_up/?s_campaign=8315

So Stinker may never get to be this big...but its something to aspire to. I still need to take a picture of Stinker to post here. I can't believe they said in the article that pumpkins can grow up to 30 pounds in a day!! I'd be lucky if Stinker packed on a couple of ounces. I think I'll start shading Stinker, though and see if that helps. The birds haven't been back, so that's good. The leaves are looking better.

Wonder how big Stinker will get...

Levis?

I'm thinking that Levis needs to fire their advertising company. Are they serious?
http://www.unbuttonyourbeast.com/?33a4b1b9d34d1a69aa4c186ea65b4742
This is just one of many to choose from. All equally disturbing!

Pumpkin Suprise!!

While I wasn't looking...a new little pumpkin sprouted! My husband noticed it yesterday and I rushed out to find it. It's actually bigger than the other one when it went to visit the Great Pumpkin in the sky. I don't know how this little stinker snuck past me. I was just out there the other day weeding, fertilizing and doing some yard work. I never noticed it.

I think I'll name it Stinker. I've heard that if you name a wayward pet, it'll never leave you alone. Think that'll work with a pumpkin? Maybe it'll actually stick around. I can only hope! I'll fertilize tomorrow. If it's not 98 degrees again.