Wednesday, April 30, 2008

my wandering eyes

since i've been married a while now, i'm starting to look around...

for new dishes, of course.

i love my mikasa garden harvest, but i think i want to add to my collection because i'm so domesticated. or maybe because i'm tired of buying kid clothes.

anyway, i started buying fiestaware. (made in wv!) a place setting each time they go on sale at macy's for $20 or less. i'm up to 8 place settings. only 4 more to go, then i can start on the accessories. no particular color scheme, just rainbow-ish.

last time i was there, i saw these new GLASSES! hurray! more things to collect!

color me happy.

Monday, April 28, 2008

sweet little lies

i'm filling out "the" forms. you know... the ones for kindergarten...

can recognize letters - check.
can recognize numbers - check.
can spell name - check.
can write name - check.
can take care of own bathroom needs - ummm, check.

(the dreaded "wipe your own butt" clause!)

yes, i checked it, okay? i've got all summer to work on this, right?!?

as an economist (and a mom) i am not above using remunerative incentives to get what i want.
i found out very quickly the incentive for "taking care of own bathroom needs" with m the summer before she went to kindergarten. a quarter. that's it. quarters well spent i say! cheers to the incentive-based family economy!

where's that change jar?

deep thoughts

actual car conversation...

"mommy?" g asks, "how many hearts do we have?"

as his mom, i know this is a reference to his lego star wars wii game. lose all your hearts and you are "killed". (i.e. dismantled) fortunately, you are put right back together, with only the loss of some money. the game continues.

"one heart." i reply.
silence.
"i wish we had like a thousand."
"me too, g."
"one heart, are you sure?"
"yeah."
"bummer."
"yeah, bummer."

Saturday, April 26, 2008

makin' whoopee

another season, another reason...

there are many reasons i love my husband, one of which is that he does the grocery shopping... another is that we have the same sense of humor, although sometimes i am loathe to admit it.

today's grocery purchase - get ready for it - a whoopee cushion?!?!

giant eagle truly, truly, has everything. i am in awe.

i can hear him giggling as he opens it up in the dining room. that boyish giggle, the one i like the best. he sits it on the chair and invites the kids over for a demonstration. bursts of laughter spill from the room. the big, hearty chuckles. then i hear them whispering. "mommy, you look tired, come in and sit down..." so i do. a slow, drawn-out sit down... and we all laugh, me the hardest.

another season, another reason, indeed!

2 cents

this morning we are cleaning up our house. by cleaning, i mean putting the clutter away so we can see the floors. then later we can actually clean. cleaning is my thing. or at least it used to be. it has been hard for me to give up the cleanliness in exchange for giggles and time outside. but i am getting used to it. there will be plenty of time for cleaning when everyone goes to wvu. or so i'm told...

anyhoo - genius mommy and daddy have offered 2 cents for every item that is put in its proper place. m is up to 60 cents. g (who seized this opportunity for "free" money) has been running around non-stop. i think he is over a dollar now.

good investment - who says parents don't come up with good ideas every now and then?

there is a sippy cup - 2 cents for me!

p.s. yes, there are plenty of things to make a small nest egg here. come on over!

Friday, April 25, 2008

h & m

while k is napping, i'll let the laundry wait as share my sad h & m morning.

last weekend, the "girls" and i spent an ENTIRE day shopping. i had the best time, and i can't wait to go again. we almost closed down macy's at 11pm...

we went to h & m at the southside works. i found lots of tops that i liked, so i picked them out in my size. "aren't you going to try them on?" my friends inquired. "umm, no! like i've been this size since ninth grade!" i insisted.

flash forward to our house. hello?!?! why won't these damn tops fit over my shoulders? why do i look like a stuffed sausage? why didn't i try these on???

conclusion - h & m is for tiny women. translation - the tiny woman i used to be before three kids.
so this morning i got everyone to school and then drove over to the mills to "up" the sizes. not fun to tell the 20-something hottie that i'm actually 2 sizes bigger than i am in my mind. but did i try them on? "umm, no! like i'm sure they will work out fine."

did i mention i also have a few things to take back to ann taylor loft too? apparently they put in those dressing room thingies for a reason...

the big easy

about 6 years ago i joined a playgroup. we had so much fun talking each week that we decided to start meeting sans kids. the first couple of years we met at starbuck's on sunday evenings. one night we starting talking about how we never get to go out to eat anymore. we all agreed that while starbuck's is great, we should start meeting at restaurants. not just any restaurants, local ones.

for the last 4 years, about once a month, ashlee picks a place. we have been to mexican, thai, ethiopian, caribbean, mediterranean, italian, french, etc. local restaurants, usually byob, and usually the owners themselves serving us or coming out to tell us about their places.

at first i was reluctant, this monthly ritual took me out of my comfort zone. by comfort zone, i mean ordering a cheeseburger at every chain restaurant in pittsburgh. i like all kinds of foods, but i usually chicken out and order the burger for fear of getting something k would deem, "yucky!"

being at restaurants that don't have cheeseburgers on the menus forced me to try something new. and for that i am grateful to ashlee and the moms. i have tasted lots of what pittsburgh has to offer, and i have not been disappointed once.

last night we headed to east pittsburgh to a taste of new orleans. owned by a transplanted katrina survivor, and known for take-out, we decided to give it a try. i ordered red beans and rice with a fried pork chop and smooth potato salad. i drank water, (because i'm healthy now, ya'll!) but they also had coffee from new orleans. it was a yummy dinner and the bread pudding was so good it made me think i might like bread pudding. i even ate raisins...

it was a success - i am looking forward to crepes in may.