Squat To The Heart
2 hours ago
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
We're Still Here
But the Back-to-School rush has taken over our lives. Sorry.
But!
1) Buster learned to ride a bike in one minute. About. We took the training wheels off and he rode off down the road. He spends every afternoon after school playing outside and I couldn't be more thrilled.
2) I have purchased a whole lot more SH stuff. I mean, if I didn't have enough already...
3) We ran! My sister, husband, and brother-in-law completed a 10-mile race on Labor Day. I did the worst of all of us, of course, and it hurt like hell, but I did NOT stop and walk! The best news is that we did beat the relay team of the parents and their three young children. The youngest is about...five or six. Yes, I do realize that it is PATHETIC that we take any sort of bragging rights in this feat, but we totally do. The little 12-year-old totally kicked my butt! Mr. Madhouse thinks we got fourth out of about 14, which is pretty impressive for a team that's 75% 30somethings.
4) If you need your magazine subscription renewed, let me know. You make think it's shameful that my five-year-old has to hawk magazines for a school fundraiser, but that kid was selling Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough at 18 months of age, so we're used to this. Actually, we are just going to pay our way out of this one, but it's sad that they won't throw the kids some rickytickytacky crap from the prize box if they don't actually sell the items. So I, for one, am renewing all of the millions of magazines we've bought from other fundraisers.
5) I have joined a Bunco Mafia. Just kidding. It's not a mafia. It was really fun! We play on Thursdays, once a month. It's an easy game, we play in a bar and order greasy food, and it pretty much saved what was kind of a crappy day. The other women are all moms who go to my church and/or have kids in the same school. The best thing is, after eight years of living here, I made about 10 new friends last night.
6) My job is really cutting into my blogging time, facebook time, twitter time, shutterfly time, and, most importantly, online shopping time! I don't have time to do any of that at all. I just work. You may not hear from me again for awhile, but I'm a little better on facebook than I am here.
But!
1) Buster learned to ride a bike in one minute. About. We took the training wheels off and he rode off down the road. He spends every afternoon after school playing outside and I couldn't be more thrilled.
2) I have purchased a whole lot more SH stuff. I mean, if I didn't have enough already...
3) We ran! My sister, husband, and brother-in-law completed a 10-mile race on Labor Day. I did the worst of all of us, of course, and it hurt like hell, but I did NOT stop and walk! The best news is that we did beat the relay team of the parents and their three young children. The youngest is about...five or six. Yes, I do realize that it is PATHETIC that we take any sort of bragging rights in this feat, but we totally do. The little 12-year-old totally kicked my butt! Mr. Madhouse thinks we got fourth out of about 14, which is pretty impressive for a team that's 75% 30somethings.
4) If you need your magazine subscription renewed, let me know. You make think it's shameful that my five-year-old has to hawk magazines for a school fundraiser, but that kid was selling Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough at 18 months of age, so we're used to this. Actually, we are just going to pay our way out of this one, but it's sad that they won't throw the kids some rickytickytacky crap from the prize box if they don't actually sell the items. So I, for one, am renewing all of the millions of magazines we've bought from other fundraisers.
5) I have joined a Bunco Mafia. Just kidding. It's not a mafia. It was really fun! We play on Thursdays, once a month. It's an easy game, we play in a bar and order greasy food, and it pretty much saved what was kind of a crappy day. The other women are all moms who go to my church and/or have kids in the same school. The best thing is, after eight years of living here, I made about 10 new friends last night.
6) My job is really cutting into my blogging time, facebook time, twitter time, shutterfly time, and, most importantly, online shopping time! I don't have time to do any of that at all. I just work. You may not hear from me again for awhile, but I'm a little better on facebook than I am here.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Madhouse Tunes Out...For One Day
Two days ago, while I watched my children watch a movie from my Netflix queue on my laptop, I was struck by how different their childhoods are from mine.
After they watched THREE FULL LENGTH MOVIES IN A ROW, without moving from their spots on the couch, I decided that maybe we're watching too much TV around here.
About two weeks ago, we changed cable providers and we now the "gold line" of channel options, and, the thing that has changed my life, DVR. Oh, three free months of HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and the like are also included. There's pretty much something on that someone would be interested in every single second of the day. And if there isn't, we DVRed something earlier. Our only problem is not enough TVs for each person to have their own, but the solution to that is in the works.
I'm really beginning to regret this latest purchase of ours.
It's sucking the life out of all of us.
Do you know when the last time I read a book was? Me neither. I don't read before bed anymore. I watch DVRed episodes of "My Life on the D List" and the Hot Topics from that day's "The View." Since I'm home right now, I could actually watch The View live, but my children have hijacked the TVs, so I never get to.
My cultural decline is not the main concern here, though. It's my kids. They don't, you know, PLAY anymore. They sit. I'm surprised they can extract themselves from the couch, they sit there so long. If you suggest shutting off the TV and playing, tears and screaming ensue. They have both given me full proof that they watch too much TV. Example 1: My TWO YEAR OLD knows the order of THREE HOURS worth of shows that she likes. She said to me the other day, "First I watch Wow, Wow Wubbzy, then Yo Gabba Gabba, then Nai-Ho, then Max and Ruby, then Dora, then Diego!" Well, then! Example 2: While sitting in the car the other day, my 5-year-old son said, "Hey, mom, did you hear about Billy Mays?" and I said, "Um,...did you?" And then he said, "He has the slider station!" Then we tried to think of what else Billy Mays has/had hawked, but we could only think of Orange Glo and Sham-Wow, and then my husband informed us that Sham-Wow is actually not Billy Mays, but that's neither here nor there.
Well, anyway, I tried to think of a solution. If I had not signed a freakin' two-year contract, I would cancel all this shit and get basic cable. All I need is Bravo and all my husband needs is Sports Center, and if we have some network too, we'd be happy. I mean, hell, we did both grow up in the country, each with THREE channels. Somewhere in my tween years, I believe PBS became our fourth, but we NEVER had cable, and it wasn't until I moved out that my parents purchased a dish. Plus, as I mentioned, we have Netflix, so much of our evenings are spent watching movies.
But...as it were, I did sign a contract, and well, I do like that DVR, so we'll be keeping it...for now. But these kids need a shake-up. Now, because I do occasionally need the TV to babysit (and more occasionally use it to babysit), we cannot go to a no TV for a week policy. And because I am not the one with the problem here, we are definitely not going to a no TV for anyone in the family policy. I decided that since there are only about two weeks to go until school, I would just work really hard to get the kids outside more and to make the TVs and laptops "not work."
They did really well yesterday. I let them watch "The Land Before Time" in the morning (from Netflix on the laptop--this totally BLOWS MY MIND, people!) while I got ready and got around. Then we went to the park to play. Then Dolly peed her pants and we had to come home. As soon as we got here, they wanted to turn on the tube, but it was about lunchtime, so I just hustled them out to the sandbox. Right after lunch, we had to leave to go run errands. When we got home, they wanted to stay in and watch TV, but I said they had to go outside to swim or take naps. They put up a fight, and for a while, no one was swimming or taking naps. But eventually, I got them out there and they were outside all afternoon--in fact, we stayed outside until daddy got home. After that I let them turn it back on again while I got supper ready and then after their baths they watched The Land Before Time for the 10th time in two days, but really, four hours of TV in one day...not too bad.
Oh, God, that's shameful isn't it?! Four hours is our LOW?!
So I was all geared up to have another day much the same, but it's raining like a monsoon season outside, so I guess we'll have to stay in and watch TV. :(
After they watched THREE FULL LENGTH MOVIES IN A ROW, without moving from their spots on the couch, I decided that maybe we're watching too much TV around here.
About two weeks ago, we changed cable providers and we now the "gold line" of channel options, and, the thing that has changed my life, DVR. Oh, three free months of HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and the like are also included. There's pretty much something on that someone would be interested in every single second of the day. And if there isn't, we DVRed something earlier. Our only problem is not enough TVs for each person to have their own, but the solution to that is in the works.
I'm really beginning to regret this latest purchase of ours.
It's sucking the life out of all of us.
Do you know when the last time I read a book was? Me neither. I don't read before bed anymore. I watch DVRed episodes of "My Life on the D List" and the Hot Topics from that day's "The View." Since I'm home right now, I could actually watch The View live, but my children have hijacked the TVs, so I never get to.
My cultural decline is not the main concern here, though. It's my kids. They don't, you know, PLAY anymore. They sit. I'm surprised they can extract themselves from the couch, they sit there so long. If you suggest shutting off the TV and playing, tears and screaming ensue. They have both given me full proof that they watch too much TV. Example 1: My TWO YEAR OLD knows the order of THREE HOURS worth of shows that she likes. She said to me the other day, "First I watch Wow, Wow Wubbzy, then Yo Gabba Gabba, then Nai-Ho, then Max and Ruby, then Dora, then Diego!" Well, then! Example 2: While sitting in the car the other day, my 5-year-old son said, "Hey, mom, did you hear about Billy Mays?" and I said, "Um,...did you?" And then he said, "He has the slider station!" Then we tried to think of what else Billy Mays has/had hawked, but we could only think of Orange Glo and Sham-Wow, and then my husband informed us that Sham-Wow is actually not Billy Mays, but that's neither here nor there.
Well, anyway, I tried to think of a solution. If I had not signed a freakin' two-year contract, I would cancel all this shit and get basic cable. All I need is Bravo and all my husband needs is Sports Center, and if we have some network too, we'd be happy. I mean, hell, we did both grow up in the country, each with THREE channels. Somewhere in my tween years, I believe PBS became our fourth, but we NEVER had cable, and it wasn't until I moved out that my parents purchased a dish. Plus, as I mentioned, we have Netflix, so much of our evenings are spent watching movies.
But...as it were, I did sign a contract, and well, I do like that DVR, so we'll be keeping it...for now. But these kids need a shake-up. Now, because I do occasionally need the TV to babysit (and more occasionally use it to babysit), we cannot go to a no TV for a week policy. And because I am not the one with the problem here, we are definitely not going to a no TV for anyone in the family policy. I decided that since there are only about two weeks to go until school, I would just work really hard to get the kids outside more and to make the TVs and laptops "not work."
They did really well yesterday. I let them watch "The Land Before Time" in the morning (from Netflix on the laptop--this totally BLOWS MY MIND, people!) while I got ready and got around. Then we went to the park to play. Then Dolly peed her pants and we had to come home. As soon as we got here, they wanted to turn on the tube, but it was about lunchtime, so I just hustled them out to the sandbox. Right after lunch, we had to leave to go run errands. When we got home, they wanted to stay in and watch TV, but I said they had to go outside to swim or take naps. They put up a fight, and for a while, no one was swimming or taking naps. But eventually, I got them out there and they were outside all afternoon--in fact, we stayed outside until daddy got home. After that I let them turn it back on again while I got supper ready and then after their baths they watched The Land Before Time for the 10th time in two days, but really, four hours of TV in one day...not too bad.
Oh, God, that's shameful isn't it?! Four hours is our LOW?!
So I was all geared up to have another day much the same, but it's raining like a monsoon season outside, so I guess we'll have to stay in and watch TV. :(
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
It's a Sickness.
We were recently discussing my issues with Tupperware, and my inability to stop purchasing it (just bought a lunch set for myself, much like the one I purchased for my mom, only cuter), so I thought it would be a good time to share some other home-party purchases I've made of late.
Let me just remind everyone that in seven and a half years of marriage and living in this town, I only hosted one of these parties. In the last six months, I've had two. I got talked into one for Signature Homestyles, which I had never heard of and who are not paying me for my endorsement on this website, just so you know.
I got invited to two of these parties in two days last winter, so I went to one but ordered from both and then got talked into a party. My purchases:
Also, this and this in the red. The divided caddy has been really nice. I put it at the back door and my husband drops the contents of his pockets in it after work. Better than just dropping it on my counter.
So, I liked my stuff and all, had my party, and then it was time to choose my rewards. The hostess incentive program on this is a little different than others in that you earn more 1/2 price items than just free things (I know, that's how they SUCK you IN!). I earned five half-priced items and $60 in free merchandise.
And this is where the sickness lies.
Many people would pick five pretty cheap things for their half-priced items.
My brain doesn't work that way.
My brain says, "Hey. Some of this stuff is pretty pricey. You could never justify paying full price for it. But now that you can get it half off..."
And then I end up spending more ALONE than my entire party made.
But here's what I got:
Love these. They were two of my five half-price items. The lids come all the way off and turn over into trays. Also, you can sit on them. Now, they are so much that I pretty much have crime scene tape up around them, but I'm sure I'll relax eventually.
Now this cube is a little different. It's lid does not come off, it just flips open. You can still sit on it, though. It's in my bedroom currently, being used as a hamper.
Most of what you see here was a set (and sets are not cheap, so that's why you get them on the half price). Obviously, I'm using this to help organize my closet. I think the shelves look a lot nicer with the baskets rather than my clothes just all thrown and tossed in there. The frame? Also SH. I'm getting some more next month (invited to a show booked off mine, of course). The frame was actually something I used my free $$$ on.
Please disregard the unfinished window in the background. It is now finished. But see how I used the basket to clean up all the bottles off my dresser?! Nifty!
Same with our nightstands. Allow me to demonstrate:
I bought some other basket sets to help me in the kitchen, laundry, and desk areas.
How awesome? I have absolutely no shelving or cabinetry in my laundry "area," which is not even really a room, so this is an easy way to keep everything from getting piled on my dryer. Well, it's still piled on the dryer, but now it's at least contained.
For the chips.
This little basket has probably helped the most. Just like my husband's, I keep this on the desk. In it, I put the mail in the big slot (and then go through it all at the end of the week) and use the little slots for things like sunglasses and the iPod. I cannot tell you how much this has helped contain the mail! And the mail is a thorn in my side.
The magazines won't fit in the mail holder though, so I use this basket for that. This is like, a serving basket, though, so it has many other uses. I just put the new ones in there, and then move them to the big magazine basket when the next issue comes.
I have a few baskets left that still need a function, so if you have any ideas, I'm open:
I have two more of those long skinny ones that I'm using in my silverware and kitchen gadgets drawers. One is for, obviously, kitchen gadgets that I use the most, and the other is for the kids' plastic cutlery. But I'm not about to show you the inside of those drawers.
In addition to all that, I earned a free gift:
A big ol' magazine basket that is currently holding big boring pieces of mail we will never read and library books. It's nice to have those all in one place, though.
I think that's everything, though I can't remember now what the rest of the free $$$ went to...maybe the basket on the desk. But see? I'm SICK! But I bet I have more baskets than you do.
Let me just remind everyone that in seven and a half years of marriage and living in this town, I only hosted one of these parties. In the last six months, I've had two. I got talked into one for Signature Homestyles, which I had never heard of and who are not paying me for my endorsement on this website, just so you know.
I got invited to two of these parties in two days last winter, so I went to one but ordered from both and then got talked into a party. My purchases:
Also, this and this in the red. The divided caddy has been really nice. I put it at the back door and my husband drops the contents of his pockets in it after work. Better than just dropping it on my counter.
So, I liked my stuff and all, had my party, and then it was time to choose my rewards. The hostess incentive program on this is a little different than others in that you earn more 1/2 price items than just free things (I know, that's how they SUCK you IN!). I earned five half-priced items and $60 in free merchandise.
And this is where the sickness lies.
Many people would pick five pretty cheap things for their half-priced items.
My brain doesn't work that way.
My brain says, "Hey. Some of this stuff is pretty pricey. You could never justify paying full price for it. But now that you can get it half off..."
And then I end up spending more ALONE than my entire party made.
But here's what I got:
Love these. They were two of my five half-price items. The lids come all the way off and turn over into trays. Also, you can sit on them. Now, they are so much that I pretty much have crime scene tape up around them, but I'm sure I'll relax eventually.
Now this cube is a little different. It's lid does not come off, it just flips open. You can still sit on it, though. It's in my bedroom currently, being used as a hamper.
Most of what you see here was a set (and sets are not cheap, so that's why you get them on the half price). Obviously, I'm using this to help organize my closet. I think the shelves look a lot nicer with the baskets rather than my clothes just all thrown and tossed in there. The frame? Also SH. I'm getting some more next month (invited to a show booked off mine, of course). The frame was actually something I used my free $$$ on.
Please disregard the unfinished window in the background. It is now finished. But see how I used the basket to clean up all the bottles off my dresser?! Nifty!
Same with our nightstands. Allow me to demonstrate:
I bought some other basket sets to help me in the kitchen, laundry, and desk areas.
How awesome? I have absolutely no shelving or cabinetry in my laundry "area," which is not even really a room, so this is an easy way to keep everything from getting piled on my dryer. Well, it's still piled on the dryer, but now it's at least contained.
For the chips.
This little basket has probably helped the most. Just like my husband's, I keep this on the desk. In it, I put the mail in the big slot (and then go through it all at the end of the week) and use the little slots for things like sunglasses and the iPod. I cannot tell you how much this has helped contain the mail! And the mail is a thorn in my side.
The magazines won't fit in the mail holder though, so I use this basket for that. This is like, a serving basket, though, so it has many other uses. I just put the new ones in there, and then move them to the big magazine basket when the next issue comes.
I have a few baskets left that still need a function, so if you have any ideas, I'm open:
I have two more of those long skinny ones that I'm using in my silverware and kitchen gadgets drawers. One is for, obviously, kitchen gadgets that I use the most, and the other is for the kids' plastic cutlery. But I'm not about to show you the inside of those drawers.
In addition to all that, I earned a free gift:
A big ol' magazine basket that is currently holding big boring pieces of mail we will never read and library books. It's nice to have those all in one place, though.
I think that's everything, though I can't remember now what the rest of the free $$$ went to...maybe the basket on the desk. But see? I'm SICK! But I bet I have more baskets than you do.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Love It
For those of you in the know, should this make me feel better or worse about my own holiday situations?
I kind of liked its straightforwardness.
I kind of liked its straightforwardness.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Why Were We So Fug?
Last week, I entered Kelly's Permullet Challenge over at awkwardfamilyphotos.com.
I don't think I won because the FRO-MULLETS were featured today (and truthfully, I know my permullet doesn't beat Kelly's), but is that a pretty awkward permullet I'm sportin', or what?
Also, that frock? Home. Sewn. Ask Grammy C. She might even still have the pattern. We loved us some chambray, didn't we Grammy C?
Frankly, I think there are a lot more awkward things about my sixth-grade picture than just the permullet.
Monday, June 8, 2009
The Original Tupperwhore
OK, I'm probably not the original tupperwhore, but as far as I know, I coined the name. Maybe I didn't coin the name, but I never heard anyone say it before me, so to me, it's my original idea.
Tupperware. I love, love, lurve! the stuff. I never had any until this year when I got invited to two Tupperware parties by girls I work with. I ordered from one and then the dealer, who we also work with, asked me if I wanted to have a party. I usually have an aversion to parties, basically because I don't have any friends, but I like her and wanted to earn some more Tupp, so I said yes.
That has spawned an out-of control obsession. I have so much Tupperware now that I seriously could be a dealer. (Note: if you happen to be a dealer reading my blog, if I do decide to sell it, I'm going to go through my friend. But thanks!)
I do not wait to be invited to parties. Actually, I have two people dealing me Tupp right now and they send me TONS of emails and fliers about what's on sale and I pretty much buy something every single time.
Allow me to demonstrate.
That is most of my collection, but obviously, I've purchased more since then. Now, let's get to the details.
This is my kids' collection. Making lunch is much more fun when you have cute little things to put it in. My kids have princess and Cars thermoses and lunchbags also, but they are not Tupperware. Hey, I'm all about matching, not necessarily exclusivity.
Jello Mold and Gravy Boat: two items I have never used. Ever.
OK, love that. That's the Vent N Serv, formerly the Rock N Serv, I think. Mine is a set of five dishes, four different sizes. Great for leftovers I take to lunch. I don't use that big one much, but I use the smaller ones all the time.
Love my flat-outs. If you are short on cabinet space, you should invest. These squish down flat and then have a holder to put them all in. I also own the strainer. Pretty colors, too, don't you think?
More venting dishes. I liked the colors. Love the soup mug.
More items I've never used. Not even sure what the green ones are, but the blue one has an expandable lid. I think that's called a "stuffable."
The very first thing I ever bought: my modular mates. Want MORE! and MORE!
Now this little do-dad, I've been using a lot. I keep grapes in it all the time. The little white things on the front are vents and these containers are for your fruits and veggies and helps them stay fresher longer. I also have three more of these in rectangular shapes, but I couldn't find the set on the website. Mine are purple and orange.
I also have these cups, a set of four, in two sizes. Just not the pitcher. I also have some really awesome trays that coordinate. Here's about half of it:
Do you love those colors, or do you love them?
I have these bowls too, but mine are all orange.
Also, these! They are called "forget me nots," and they hang in your fridge. It's so stuff doesn't get shoved down to the bottom of the drawer and forgotten about. I'm not sure what the red one is for...hot dogs? The purple and white ones are for onions, obviously.
And these too!
Recently, I got the "Little Bit of Everything Set," which is a whole lot of smaller containers and lids. One of my favorite purchases was something I bought for my mom for mother's day. It's an orange soup mug, and orange tumbler with a lid, and an orange vented dish. It all comes in a cute little orange and white purse! I would have gotten it for myself, but I had the soup mug. (So Mom, if you're listening, you can definitely re-gift that to me if you ever find yourself not needing it!)
My goal with all this is to get all the cheap Rubbermaid out of my cabinets. I've already eliminated the butter and cool whip dishes. The things I desire next are bowls--big ones--with lids and more modular mates.
I will say, while all my "Tufferware," as Buster calls it, makes my cabinets more colorful, it's not making them neater. Yet.
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