The Lungos

It's Not All Gloom & Doom Around Here

2012-01-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

Although I am still feeling all out of sorts and don't see the doctor until later this week, all of the kind thoughts and suggestions here and on Facebook have really cheered me up. So thank you to all of you lovely people!

And even bigger and better news, Hubby started his new position at the University yesterday!! We really kept the whole application/interview process quiet because we didn't want to jinx it and it all happened really fast. He is changing departments but will be doing similar work. And in this position there is the real opportunity for advancement that wasn't in the last position. It is more responsibility, too - but he will be MUCH better compensated in this job. And by much better, I mean close to having another persons full-time salary added to his current salary. I about had a heart attack when he told me how much it was. It will be so amazing for out family.

And the new job is amazing for Hubby. It is a good fit with his skills and personality and engineers-type brain. He was getting frustrated in his old position and the fact that his new boss sought him out and asked him to apply for the position was a huge morale boost for him. And I am so proud of him for stepping out of his comfort zone and applying, interviewing and getting the job. He is amazing!

And another bright spot is that Peanut will be 5 tomorrow!! 5 - I can't believe she is 5!!

Five.

Cinco.

Fünf.

Cinq.

Tal.

Five.

It seem like she was just a wee toddler and now she is a 'big' girl. We are having a Hello Kitty Carnival Party at the house on Saturday and I have been feverishly working on it at night after the kids are in bed. I am hoping I can get it all pulled together by Saturday and if I do, I hope to blog it here. Here is a sneak peak:

I am excited. Peanut is excited. It should be a blast. I just hop I can pull it off.

So, no, it's not all doom and gloom and grey clouds. We have a lot of positive things going for us and going on, I just need to figure out how to be happy and enjoy them without all the other crashing in.

Can't Shake It

2012-01-26T15:16:00.000-08:00

I can't shake it.

I am trying.

Trying to clear my head, my thoughts.

I'm not really sure what is going on, but I just feel so, so BLAH.

I can't shake it.

Whatever it is.

I wish I knew how to get out of this fog.

So much I WANT to do.

So much I HAVE to do.

So much I CAN'T do.

I can't shake it.

A Good Day in the Middle of It All

2012-01-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Life has been chaotic, stressful, challenging, tear inducing, hair pulling, climb-under-the-covers-and-want-to-sleep-all-day and not-being-able-to-sleep-a-wink-because-I-can't-turn-off-my-brain, all at the same time lately.

I thought after the holidays that my brain would settle down, but it won't. All I can do is think about all of the family/kid/work/home stuff I need/want to do, get all worked up about how I am going to try and do it all, and then do none of it. It has gotten so bad that it is affecting my physical self (weight gain, headaches, etc.) so I made an appointment to talk to someone, although the appoint is a week out..

Anyway, in the midst of all this, I had mad plans to take my mom to get her first pedicure. She recently had ankle surgery and just got her cast off so I thought she would need one. At ther last minute I decided to bring Peanut along.

I couldn't have asked for a better day! I was able to shut out all the stuff floating around in my head and just enjoy the moment I was in, rather than than focusing on all the other stuff I had to do and should be doing instead of getting a pedicure with my 2 favorite girls.

Both my mom and Peanut enjoyed their first pedicures, too. Peanut liked it so much that she asked if we could go again next weekend. Sorry, but no way kiddo, mama's not made of money.

Man I love this kid! She was so well behaved and was totally doted on by the staff and she loved every minute of it.

The moment we got home though, it all started back up. Laundry, vacuum, bathrooms, Peanut birthday party, clean out the closets, sort through the kids toys, edit and post pictures from Christmas, blog said pictures (yeah, right), give Bubba a haircut, re-schedule my hair appointment, make arrangements for when I am gone for work and so much more. I don't know what I would do if Hubby didn't handle 99% of the kitchen duties, the garbage, cat box and the yard.

Anyway, our day was a good day and I will take them when I can get them and hang on to them until the rest of the storm passes.

Top 11 of 2011 ~ Kids Photos

2012-01-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, 2011 went by in a flash! And while looking for pictures for this Top 11 of 2011 link up, I realized a couple things:

I take a lot of pictures of the kids, but less and less than I used to
Very seldom do my kids cooperate for a picture together at the same time
It varies as to which kid will let me take their picture
I have super cute kids!

I wasn't sure how to pick my top 11 pictures out of all the pictures I took this year, so I went out to flickr (where I upload about one-third of the pictures I take and went month by month picking out a few of my faves and them narrowing it down from there. This is what I ended up with:

Starting 2011 with lots of good Karma

The Peanut celebrating Princess day at school and her 4th birthday

Peanut showing her nerd side in Mama's glasses

Bubba showing off his eating skills on ribs

Bubba again showing off his eating skills, this time on a corn dog

The kiddos enjoying the summer playing in the water

Peanut showing off her new soccer gear and tutu

Bubba at the park for fall family pictures

Peanut at the park for fall family pictures

Celebrating Thanksgiving

Bubba helping Dada in the garage

Well, there you have it. A few of my favorite photos of my kids from 2011. It was a pretty fun task and really fun to go back and look at the last year in photos. Check out all the other great pictures or link up yourself and maybe win something!

Working Mom Resolutions 2012

2011-12-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

I am not one for resolutions. I don't make them because I don't keep them. I feel like I am setting myself up to fail.

But since I LOVE the ladies and everything they write over at Liberating Working Moms I decided to join in and come up with a few resolutions geared toward my life as a working mom.

Leave work at work. I have a habit of bringing some of my smaller work tasks home and working on them on Sunday morning. I need to leave it at the office and spend that time with Hubby or the kids.
Make better use of my travel time. I travel a lot for work and usually end up having some free time in the evening. I always tell myself that I am going to get a few blog post typed and scheduled when I have this free so I can spend that time with the family when I am home, but instead I spend that free time catching up on cable. I am going to work on that this year.
Work on my relationship with Hubby. We have a good relationship, but like anything it could be better. After a day of work, kids, dinner, and chores I just don't really make time for Hubby and I should because he is awesome and I love him. Our marriage and relationship is the foundation of our family and I have moved it to the bottom of the list and it should be the top.

I was going to try and come up with 5 resolutions, but I think these 3 are a good start and plenty to work on.

I would love to hear some of the things that you as a working mom - working in the home, out of the home, etc - have come up with. Please share a link in the comments or link up at Liberating Working Moms.

January Blog Badge Swap

2011-12-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

I am going to give this another shot for January.

Let's swap blog badges/ads!

It's really simple and a great way to get your blog out and around the web!

If you are interested in swapping blog ads/buttons send me an email at thelungosblog at gmail dot com with your ad/badge (150x150) and I will place in my sidebar. Then you grab my badge and do the same.

For January, I will be swapping through the 5th.

I would love to meet some new bloggers this way!

Deck the Halls 2011

2011-12-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

A quick view into you holiday house this year. This is really the first year I have worked on decorating the house since we moved in. I am happy with what I was able to pull together this year and I am looking forward to after-Christmas sales to pick up some things for next year.

The entry way with my Lang boxes and lanterns. I love lanterns.

Dresser in the dining room with some of my new and old Partylite pieces. I love the wire apothecary with the Christmas balls.

Our Christmas Tree

We weren't going to get a Christmas tree this year because the 9-10 foot tree we like to get is about $150. Hubby surprised me with the awesome little 6 foot tree (for $25!) and then built the stand for it so it stands taller. We actually really like this set up and I think we are going to do this every year. It is up off the ground so the cat leaves it alone, Bubba leaves it alone, it takes less lights, you can see the packages under it (trust me, they look great) and it is way cheaper!

We are carrying on a tradition from my childhood and getting the kids a Hallmark ornament every year. They ones we got this year really suit the kids personalities ( Peanut picked her own). My mom is also slowly giving me mine, so we are adding them to the tree.

Peanut's 2011 ornament

Mama's 1978 Angel

Mama's 1st Ornament 1977

Bubba's 1st Ornament 2009

Bubba's 2011 Ornament

The mantle

I really like our mantle this year, especially compared to last year. We are searching for the right mirror to go over it and I have a few more ideas for next year.

Stockings made by Nana

Nativity

Pretty Modern Trio

Peanut's annual gingerbread house

Nana and Peanut have started their own tradition of making a gingerbread house every year. This years house turned out really cute. It is sitting on the island.

Well that is a quick run down of a few of our Christmas decorations. I would love to see what you did for decorations. Please share you blog or photo link so I can check them out and steal some of your great ideas!

My Sweet Peanut is the Sweetest

2011-12-22T19:41:00.000-08:00

Driving home last night, we were listening to an NPR story about the economy and how it has effected people this year. A women was telling her story and crying. Peanut asked me why she was crying and explained to her that the women was sad because she didn't have enough money to buy food, groceries and Christmas presents for her kids.

And my sweet Peanut, as serious as could be said, "Maybe I can give her some of my money?"

I was so blown away by her instant caring and generosity that I thought my heart was going to burst.

I told her that I was so proud of her for thinking of others and that when we got back from vacation we would find someway to help people who needed it.

How did I get so lucky in the kid department?

Wordless Wednesday ~ 46/52

2011-12-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

Our fantastic daycare has a Christmas potluck every year. It is an opportunity to spend time chatting with the teachers and meeting some of the other parents. They also have little make-n-take projects in some of the classes and Santa makes a visit.

This works out really well for us because we don't have to make a trip anywhere to see Santa and this Santa is extremely patent and good with the kids.

The last 2 years have been Santa successful for us because the kids see their friends sitting on Santa's lap and they are actually eager to do it. Bubba was a little unsure, but he did okay.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 45/52

2011-12-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Bubba helping dada in the garage and wearing his safety glasses, too.

Happy Birthday Bubba ~You're 2!!

2011-12-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am a little late getting this post up because I was a little slow getting the pictures off the camera, but it is here now.

And yes, I am going to say it ~ I can't believe my baby is 2!!

That's right, two years have past since we became a family of 4 and our lives changed forever. Adding another baby to the mix, and a true BOY at that, has really made life crazy, but mostly in a good way.

We celebrated Bubba's birthday on Saturday and just had a small get together with Nana and Papa and Bubba's 2 amazing teachers, Miss Taylor and Miss Seneca.

Having LOTS of fun opening presents!

Showing off some of the great trucks from Uncle Boo and Aunt Nan.

Birthday Boy and Mama

Cars, cars and more cars!

An awesome workbench from Grandma and Grandpa

Checking out his birthday cake made by Mama

It was a fun, small party with lots of great company. Bubba got spoiled (as usual) and he had blast opening and playing with all his great gifts.

At his 2 year well ~~baby~~ (he's really not a baby anymore) child check-up his stat's (for those who care) were:

Height: 34.5 inches ~ 50%

Weight: 33.5 pounds ~ 90%

Head: 53 centimeters ~ > than 97%

He really is a big boy, especially in the head/brains department! His sister calls his head the wrecking ball, because it is just that, but we think he is just perfect for Bubba! Happy Birthday, Bubba Trubba, we love you!

Wordless Wednesday ~ 44/52

2011-12-07T03:30:00.000-08:00

BSU plane, originally uploaded by The Lungos.

My ride home from Portland yesterday. Showing a little local pride.

Christmas Pajamas ~ A Holiday Tradition

2011-12-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

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I love this time of year. Christmas is my very favoriteholiday for so many reasons.

As a kid, I waited all year for the presents. (I had towait all year for presents because mybirthday is on Christmas, too so it is double the fun!) I loved making my list,telling Santa what I wanted and then the anticipation of waiting to openpresents and see if I got what I wanted.

As I got older, I still liked making my list and thepresents, but the focus shifted a bit from the presents to family and spendingtime with those people I love.

Now that I have a family and kids of my own, my wholeperspective on Christmas and the holidays has changed. It is all about makingit as special and magical as I remember it to be, for my kids.

One thing I loved, and still love, about Christmas is thetradition in my family of opening one present on Christmas Eve. For as long asI can remember, we have opened one pre-picked present on Christmas Eve and itis always the same thing – new pajamas. After the first years of pajamas, Icame to realize that it was always going to be pajamas, usually hand made by mymom.
It became a comfort to know that every year, we got toopen one present and that one present would always be a pair of new pajamas. And my mom still gets my brother and I new pajamas, but she also gets them for my Hubby and my sister-in-law and now my kids. These are the kids jammies from last year:

It is also a comfort to know that my mom will do this as long as she can for my family every Christmas, and everything willing - that will be for a long time to come. Then it will be a tradition that I will carry on and hopefully my kids will carry on.

What parts of your holiday traditions are a comfort for you that you will pass on to your kids?

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A Christmas Meme

2011-12-04T02:00:00.000-08:00

Since we spent the weekend getting our tree up and decorated and doing all the other things that get us in the holiday spirit, I thought i would share this list of Christmas questions and answers.

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate withlittle marshmallows and Egg Nog Lattes
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under thetree? Everything gets wrapped
Colored lights on tree/house or white? All white, allthe way
Do you hang mistletoe? No. I am not even sure where Iwould find some real mistletoe around here? Florist, maybe…
When do you put your decorations up? AfterThanksgiving – one holiday at a time.
What is your favorite holiday dish? Christmas morningcrepes and bacon
Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Waking up SUPERearly and going into my brother’s room then sneaking down to look under thetree before waking up my parents.
When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Whattruth about Santa?
Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Only pajamas madeby my awesome mama. Every year.
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Growing upwe got a new Hallmark ornament every year. My mom has given me my ornaments andwe have started the tradition with Peanut and Bubba.
Snow ~ Love it or Dread it? Love it on Christmas only.
Can you ice skate? I could give it a try, but I amgoing to say probably not very well.
Do you remember your favorite gift? I love all mygifts, but when I was 5 I got all of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls in a carrybasket made by my mom. I still have it. It was an AWESOME gift.
What’s the most important thing about the Holidaysfor you? Spending time with family
What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? My mama’s mudpie and fudge sauce, Grandma-Great Lundgren’s rosettes
What is your favorite holiday tradition? I loveeverything about Christmas – the whole holiday is tradition for me ~ Hallmarkornaments, jammies on Christmas Eve, decorating the house, 24 hours of AChristmas Story, watching Charlie Brown Christmas with my kids – all of it!
What tops your tree? Nothing
Which do you prefer giving or receiving? As much as Ilove getting gifts ~ I really LOVE giving gifts. Finding that special thing forsomeone is my love language.
Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? I really like candy canes.
Favorite Christmas show(s)? Elf, A Christmas Story,National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, and Charlie Brown
Saddest Christmas Song? Silent Night
What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night, Baby It's Cold Outside

Wordless Wednesday ~ 43/52

2011-11-30T06:25:00.000-08:00

November is over and a lot of people have used this month as an opportunity to list things that they are thankful for. I am thankful and grateful for so many things in my life, but none more that this:

And this:

And especially this:

Tasty Tuesday ~ Hot Wing Lettuce Wraps

2011-11-29T22:57:00.000-08:00

This is one on my most FAVORITE meals! We have at least once a month becuase it is super tasty and super easy! It only takes a few pantry ingredients, a few fresh vegetables and chicken breasts. It is also a really easy recipe to increase/decrease the amount you need to make. My numbers are what I make to feed to adults and 2 kids.

Indredients:

3 chicken breasts, cubed
2 Carrots, peeled and shredded
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cucumber, sliced thin
1 head Bib lettuce
1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/3 cup Honey
1/3 cup Lime juice (fresh if you prefer)
Blue Cheese dressing of your choice

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in in a large skillet. Add and cook cubed chicken until done. While chicken is cooking; combine honey, hot sauce and lime juice. Add sauce mixture to chicken and cook over med-high heat, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened and reduced by about half.

Place a spoonful of chicken, celery, carrots, and cucumber in a leaf of lettuce and drizzle with blue cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Besides being tasty, this recipe is easy to increase or decrease. Just adjust the amount of chicken and veggies accordingly and since the sauce is equal parts, adjust as needed to accommodate the amount of chicken being cooked.

I also will just toss everything in bowl and eat as a salad if we have leftovers.

Blogger Ad Swap

2011-11-28T15:53:00.001-08:00

I saw this on another blog and thought it was a FANTASTIC idea!

Let's swap blog badges/ads!

It's really simple and a great way to get your blog out and around the web!

For December, I will be swapping through the 3rd.

Easy peasy lemony squeezey!

It's Party Time

2011-11-21T10:29:00.001-08:00

We traveled to Milwaukee (for 24 hours) this weekend to attend the wedding of Marissa & Wiley. Hubby and Wiley have known each other forever and he really wanted to be there.

It was an AWESOME time! I have never been to a Jewish ceremony and I thought it was wonderful, especially the Sheva Brachot or 7 Blessings. It was also really cool to yell "mazel tov!" at the end when Wiley broke the glass.

The bride was beautiful, the groom absolutely handsome and I have ZERO pictures because we were running late leaving town and forgot the camera, although I was so in to the ceremony that I would have forgotten to take any pictures.

The Pfister Hotel where the ceremony was held and where we stayed was beautiful.

The reception rocked. It was at a fabulous bar and restaurant called the Hinterland and it was amazing. Cocktail hour (open bar) with signature drinks, wines and beers and awesome apps. Then plated dinner. I had the steak and it was unbelievable.

After dinner the revelry began and the open bar continuesand the DJ started up the music. There was much dancing and bally-hoo. And Imean serious bally-hoo. A few minutes after the first dances, these guys showedup.

Image from here.

If you are a baseball fan, you know who these guys are. For those of you who don't, they are the Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages. Wiley is a sports guy and actually interned with the Brewers this year and somehow managed to get these guys to show up at the reception. It was hysterical and awesome.

About half-way through the night, I realized that I didn't have a picture of me all dressed up and I felt really pretty, so I ran into the restroom and snapped this.

Black Sheath Dress with Side Deatil ~ JC Penny (on clearance for $4.97! 2 years ago)

Brootch on Dress ~ my stash

Earrings ~ my stash

Missing from the picture ~ cute crop cardi from Charlotte Russe and bright pink pashmina wrap.

I had a blast with my make-up and stepped out of my comfort zone by actually wearing it. It is hard to see, but I managed a pretty great smoky eye with help from YouTube and lovely false eyelashes and by this point in the night, I obviously didn't care about my lipstick. I also had a pretty, sleek and simple up-do courtesy of Pinterest.

It was a quick trip but really fun. Congratulations to Wiley and Marissa, we are super happy for you! Wishing all the best in your future life together!

I am going to jump over and link up with The Hap's and Steppin' Out Saturday since I actually did dress up and step out on Saturday!

Working With Style {3} ~ A Week of Cardigans

2011-11-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for cardigans. A serious thing. Like, I own a cardigan in just about every color, and several styles (v-neck, long sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, etc.) in certain colors, several prints and patterns and no less than 7 black cardigans.

It is a sickness really.

But cardigans are so versatile. I can wear them year-round. Buttoned or unbuttoned. As a light jacket. I wore them before during and after pregnancy. They were great for nursing. A co-worker calls the cardi-scarf combo my signature look. I don't know if that is good or bad.

It also appears I like scarves. A lot. I have 8 pashmina scarves in black, white, light grey, light pink, dark pink, light turquoise, dark turquoise, and purple. There is a store here that carries solid color, large pashmina scarves for $5. I pick one up every time I am in there.

This really is an unflattering picture. I look lumpy and bunchy. I hope I didn't look like that all day and just while I was rushing to get a picture in the restroom before someone walked in.

Pink V-Neck Cardi ~ Old Navy

White Shirt ~ JC Penny

Black Skinny Belt ~ Ann Taylor LOFT

Black Wide Leg Trouser ~ JC Penny

Necklace ~ Lisa Leonard Designs

Ring ~ Premier Jewelry

Blue Gem Button Cardi ~ Old Navy

White Tank Top ~ Old Navy
Pashmina Scarf ~ Craft Warehouse

Black Trouser ~Ann Taylor LOFT

Ring ~ Gift

I love yellow/black/grey combos but I couldn't decide which picture I liked better ~ with or without the scarf~ so I posted both. You tell me.

Black Cardi ~ Ann Taylor LOFT

Yellow Tank Top ~Old Navy

Grey Wide Leg Trouser ~ JC Penny

Light Grey Pashmina Scarf ~ Craft Warehouse
3 Ring Necklace ~ Old Nave

Ring ~ Premier Jewelry

Button Cuff Yellow Cardi ~ Old Navy

White Shirt ~ Old Navy

Black Wide Leg Trouser ~ JC Penny

Knit Floral Scarf ~ Old Navy

Ring ~ Premier Jewelry

Lavender V-Neck Cardi ~ Old Navy

White Shirt ~Old Navy

Denim Trouser ~ JC Penny

Grey/Lavender Floral Scarf ~ Ann Taylor LOFT

Ring ~ Premier Jewelry

So, there you have it, one week full of cardigans, and a lot of scarves. I could probably go two weeks of sraight cardigans, but even I realize that I need to mix it up and I have very little fashion sense. Is there a piece of clothing in your wardrobe or a collection of something that you find yourself gravitating to?

Linking up with the lovely ladies over at Liberating Working Moms for this weeks Working With Style. Stop by and say hi and link up with your style.

Pet Peeves

2011-11-17T15:06:00.001-08:00

I have lots of pet peeves.

Mostly because I can’t stand inconsiderate, self-centeredor stupid people, and they are generally involved in or the cause whatever petpeeve is annoying me at the time.

(Here is where my 4year old would remind me that stupid is a bad word and we aren’t supposed tocall people stupid. I will let her live in that world free of stupid people alittle longer.)

This particular pet peeve really gets me going. I evenlisted in a list of 100 Things About Me because it makes me a special kind ofcrazy.

What is this special annoyance you may ask?

Non-permitted or placarded people who park in thehandicap spots (or in the striped space between, essentially making bothhandicap spots unusable) at daycare when dropping or picking up their kids makeme insane.

Why does this get me so bad?

I am not really sure, but I think it is the sheerlaziness or it. Or, maybe the complete disregard for others in their extremeself-entitlement. Whatever the reason, it bugs the holy living hell out of me.

I see it DAILY at our daycare. One parent in particular. If they cannot park there rig in the middle of the 3 spots directly in front ofthe door taking 2 of the 3 spots up, they park in the handicap spots. And theparking lot at our school is not huge and I have rarely seen it where we haveto dive to the side of the building to park. There are usually a few spotsalways open along the front of the building, although not directly in front ofthe doors.

Those spots are there for those who need them and I haveseen them being used appropriately by those who do need them at the school.

About a month ago I don’t know what it was, but I hadenough and I brought it up with the director of the school. I just mentionedthat I was a little crazy and OCD and certain things bother me and the handicapparking was one of them. I told her that I just needed to let the school know Isaw it happening (struggling to not point out the one parent in particular byname, although they were parked there when the director looked out the window)and I felt they should address it. She looked at me like I was crazy, but sheagreed and I left it at that.

2 weeks ago there was a sign on the check-in computerreminding parents not to park in the handicap spot.

SCORE!

And I haven’t seen anyone park there since.

Do you have a crazy pet peeve that you’d bewilling to admit to? I would love to hear it because it will make me feel alittle less wacko.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 42/52

2011-11-16T07:25:00.001-08:00

At the Seattle Aquarium ~ we had lots of fun looking at the fishes and animals.

Technical Difficulties

2011-11-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that none of my scheduled post for the last 2 weeks showed up and I am trying to fix. Pretty sure it was and operator error.

Stay tuned for an onslaught of new old posts.

Wordless Wednesday ~41/52

2011-11-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

originally uploaded by The Lungos.

As many of you know, I travel for my job and lately I have been away from home almost as much as I have been home.

And it sucks.

This is my address this week.

Crash

2011-11-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

So, I blew up my laptop today.

AWESOME.

Not really, seeing as it is actually my company laptop that has all my work on it.

I was reading my usual morning blogs and got a wicked error message from out virus software saying I needed to restart my computer and before I could shut down, it all went black.

The Black Screen of Death had struck.

When I was able to to get it back up and running, everything on my desktop and hard drive was gone.

GONE.

I tried not to cry. Or use expletives.

The local IT guy worked on it, but kept throwing out words like "toast" "gone" and "dead" under his breath.

He is gave me a loner that I am working from, but it doesn't have all my stuff on it, so I blog and check email.

He Fed-Exed my laptop back to Corporate and I am praying that the tech fairies help my guys out and get it fixed.

Fingers crossed

I Hate Mondays

2011-11-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

I know, lots of people hate Mondays.

But lately, Monday mean getting up extra early to get to the airport and leaving my family for days at a time.

I especially hate these kind of Mondays.

It feels like the weekend went by too fast because I was trying to squeeze in as much family time as I could while also doing the laundry and cleaning house and getting things ready for me being away for 4 days.

My kids cry and whine when I say bye-bye. Hubby looks lonely before I leave. And I usually cry as I climb in the car and drive away.

I especially hate these kind of Mondays.

Working With Style #2

2011-11-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy lately with work travel and kiddos stuff but we are hanging in there.

As far as work style this week, it has been pretty low key ~ sweaters, cardis, scarfs. I did venture out of my comfort zone and made a change to my hair. I had bangs cut. Bangs. I haven't had straight bangs since I was Peanut's age. And I love them. I am trying to grow out my hair again and I needed something I loved about my hair to make me not cut it all off again. Click her to see my last week hair.

Sweater ~ Target

Scarf ~ Craft Warehouse

Earrings ~ Old Navy

Firetruck Sticker ~ Bubba Boy

Cute Bangs ~ Karyssa @ Rain Salon

Linking up with the lovely ladies over at Liberating Working Moms for this weeks Working With Style. Stop by and say hi and link up with your style.

A to Z of Me

2011-11-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

This meme has been floating around for awhile and I am slow and just getting to it, but it is fun so here is me, A to z:

A. Age: 33 almost 34
B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore that you hate: Dishes, Definitely dishes. And cleaning the litter box. SoI don’t do either.

D. Dogs: Nada.

E. Essential start to your day: A shower and coffee.

F. Favorite color: London blue topaz shade of aqua blue & bright pink

G. Gold or Silver: Always white gold or silver

H. Height: Shorty at 5’2”

I. Instruments you play: i tried to play the clarinet in jr high, but I am not musical. Not at all.

J. Job title: Mama, Wifey, Daughter, Sister and Safety Nerd by day

K. Kids: Marly Jo (Marleah Josephine) aka Peanut and Harlan Chase aka Bubba

L. Live: Beautiful Boise

M. Mother’s name: Mom

N. Nicknames: Mama, Mandy, Manda, Wifey, Cutie-Pie, Sis, Bess

O. Overnight hospital stays: 2 ~ Marly Jo (Marleah Josephine) aka Peanut and Harlan Chase aka Bubba

P. Pet peeves: People who park in the handicap spot at daycare when they are too lazy to walk from the end of the parking lot, people driving UNDER the speed limit on the interstate "regulating" the speed limit,

Q. Quote from a movie:"It's so fluffy I could die!" ~ Despicable Me

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: My most awesome younger bro, Morgan
T. Time you wake up: Weekdays ~ 5:30 a & Weekends ~ when the kids get up except when Hubby let's me sleep in, then I will sleep half the day

U. Underwear: Always.

V. Vegetable you hate: stewed tomatoes

W. What makes you run late: Usually myself

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, chest, ankle

Y. Yummy food that you make: Hubby does a lot of the cooking, but a few things I rock at making like Basque soup, homemade mac & cheese, tater tot hot dish, chicken salsa verde, chocolate chip oatmeal cake and a few others

Z. Zoo animal: polar bears and penguins

Soccer Super Star

2011-11-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hubby signed Peanut up to play soccer this fall because she aid she wanted to play.

Hubby plays soccer. Like really PLAYS soccer. At one time he played on no less than 3 teams at a time and year year-round when we lived in Seattle. He loves to play and is really really good in my opinion.

Anyway, Peanut said she wanted to play so Hubby jumped on it and signed her up. We ended up with an amazing coach and assistant coach who was really great witht he girls.

Peanut was one of the youngest and smallest on her team. And her idea of soccer was a litle different than Hubby's.

After a few practices and games she got the hang of it, but really wasn't into the fighting for the ball aspect, so she basically ran up an ddown the field behind the other girls because she didn't want anyone in her space. But she had fun, learned a little about soccer and made some new friends, si overall, I think it was a success
.

And she thought it was pretty awesome that she got a trophy at her pizza party last night.

She says she wants to play next spring. We will see isf she actually does once spring soccer weather gets here...

Wordless Wednesday ~ 40/52

2011-11-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

For once this is going to be more of a Wordy Wednesday instead of a Wordless Wednesday.

Dear Peanut,

As of yesterday you were 4 years and 9 months old. Wait, WHAT? You are how old?!?! I truly cannot believe how quickly you have grown into a little person and definitely your own person at that.

You (and your brother) are by far the most amazing thing in my life. I am so lucky to be your mama and all that goes with that title. I am lucky enough to watch and help you grow up into the awesome kid you are. I have watched you learn to walk, talk, run, jump, climb stairs, dance, read and make your own decisions - all which you excel at.

You are a STRONG personality and a force to be reckoned with in our house. You know what you like and don't like and what you want to do and don't want to do and you share those opinion freely. We often disagree on 90% percent o f the daily happenings in our house - when to get up, what to wear, hairstyle, breakfast, dinner, bedtime - you name it and we have butted heads on it.

I love this about you and at the same time it drives me crazy. I love that you have such a strong, definite, individual personality because I want you to grow up to be your own person but at the same time you make me crazy because you won't do what I want when I want it done and it frustrates me. I am terrified of the teen years.

But you are you. And I love you. I love you so much that sometimes it scares me how strongly I feel. You are my girl, my first born, the one who made me mama.

You are a fashionista, a drama queen, a ballerina, a big sister, an artist, a Disney princess genius, a soccer player and so much more. And you are mine and I wouldn't have it any other way.

NaBloPoMo

2011-11-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

NaBloPoMo? Huh? Gesundheit?

No, NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month and I am crazy enough to try and do it. Not because I don't have enough to do in addition to try and write a blog post every day for month, but because I truly want to be a better writer and like they say "practice makes perfect". And not only and I going to write a post a day, I am going to try and really WRITE a solid post every day.

But, because this is the first day and I am doing this last minute, this is counting as my first post. Please bear with me.

You can still join too! Take yourself over to their site, then fill out the form to link up and get crackin’! It’s so simple, and it’s open to new bloggers till the 5th of this month.

Pre-Halloween Fun ~ Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-31T01:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a trial run for Halloween with "Boo at the Zoo". This is the first year we went and I am not sure we will go back. There were just SO many people and so much going on that you couldn't really enjoy the zoo of the trick-or-treating and events.

Especially at 3 in the afternoon with 2 kids who had been to Peanut soccer game then Dada's soccer game then the zoo.

We had fun dressing up, though.

Mommy was Flo, Peanut was a butterfly and Bubba was a monster.

Daddy was a giant pink bunny!

We entered a costume contest and didn't win. But Bubba sure looked cute!

We did see a few animals and we hugged some penguins.

At the end of the day, it was a good day ~ but I had two very tired (but very adorable) munchkins.

It was a great practice run and I can't wait to dress the kiddos (and myself, let's be honest ~ I love my costume) and go out trick-or-treating! I will have more picture to share after Monday, I am sure.

And for the first time I am linking up with Stepping Out Saturday at Harper's Happenings. Check it out!

I also found a cute Halloween link-up on Four Plus an Angel so I am joining in over there, too!

Working With Style #1

2011-10-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

So, I started stalking Tracy way back when she started writing 365 Days ~ Mommyhood at Thirty and I still stalk her on twitter. She recently started this AMAZING blog for working mama's called Liberating Working Moms and I am in love with all the lovely mama's who write there.

Anyway, I had been seeing these #officefashionshow #workingmom hashtags on twitter, so I decided to join in on Friday and link up. I am going to try and take a picture everyday next week.

My office fashion show is from Friday which is "casual" day in my office but that translates to "still conservative and not TOO casual".

Sweater: Ann Taylor LOFT (last season clearance)

Pants: Trouser Style Dark Denim Ann Taylor LOFT

Shoes: Black Patent Dansko

I am linking up this week with Liberating Working Moms ~ Working With Style. You should head over there, check out all the lovely ladies and link up!

Wordless Wednesday ~ 39/52

2011-10-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the park this weekend to attempt to take a family photo. I have been bugging Hubby for months to let me schedule a photographer, but my Hubby, who I love very much, is very ~~tight~~ frugal. So we spent over an hour at the park taking pictures ourselves using the push-the-timer-and-run-sit-down-adjust-kids-get-everyone-to-look-at-the-camera-and-smile method and got maybe 3-5 decent pictures of us or the kids. This one is my favorite, even with my double chin.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Curried Lentil Burritos

2011-10-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is another quick and easy recipe that I make sure Ihave all the ingredients on hand at all times so I can throw it together on aweek night. It is supper yummy, very healthy and makes great leftovers. My kidsreally dig it, too.

Could easily be vegetarian or possible gluten free withminor adjustments.

The original recipe is from Cuisine at Home and is for 2people. I increased it to feed 4 people and have leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

***For the filling***
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced (I use a large onion because I love them in dishes likethis)
2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)
2 1/2 cup vegetable broth (I use chicken broth because that is what I buy inbulk from Costco)
2 small tomatoes, chopped
4 Red potatoes -- cubed
1/2 cup brown lentils
1 bay leaf
1 cup Spinach -- frozen chopped (I use half a frozen block)
1/2 juice Lime
salt, to taste

***For the Tortilla***
1 egg
2 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
10" size Flour Tortilla
1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

***Spiced Yogurt***
1 cup Cilantro -- leaves and stems
1/4 cup Scallions -- white and green parts
2 teaspoons Ginger -- chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt and cayenne -- to taste
1/2 cup plain yogurt (we use greek yogurt)

PREPARATION:

For the filling: Saute onion, curry powder, andjalapeno in oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cook until onionbegins to brown, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Stir in broth, potatoes,lentils, spinach (no need to thaw) and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until lentils aretender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the spiced yogurt while lentils cook. Finish lentils with tomatoes, lime juice, and salt.

For the Spiced Yogurt: Process all ingredient except yogurt in a food processoruntil minced. Stir herb paste into yogurt, chill until ready to serve.

For the Tortillas: Blend egg, milk, and parsley in a pie plate. Heat a 12"nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Spray lightly with Pam (or othercooking spray). Dip both sides of a tortilla in the egg mixture, then fry untilgolden brown on one side, about 1 minutes; flip the tortilla over and sprinklewith cheese and continue frying until second side is brown, about 1 minute;transfer to a work surface. Spray pan between tortillas and fry the othertortilla in the same manner.

To assemble the burritos, place 3/4 cup of lentil filling on the lower third ofeach tortilla, then roll the bottom of the tortilla over the filling to cover.Fold in both sides and roll to the end. Serve with the yogurt.

All Boy

2011-10-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it.

Bubba after "helping" his dada in the garden.

MIA

2011-10-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

I have been missing in action from the blog lately.

I have been away from home for work almost as much as I have been home in the last 3 months.

When I am home, I am want to spend my time with my family.

When things settle down, I will be back.

Pipsqueak Boutique Personalized Kids Shirt Review

2011-10-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

When Jennifer from Pipsqueak Boutique contacted me about the opportunity to review a customized shirt, I jumped on it. I adore cute, unique clothing for the kiddos and Pipsqueak Boutique definitely has that and more.

I had such a hard time choosing a shirt for Little Man, that I actually made Hubby pick. He picked the "Born To Be Loud Personalized Shirt" in the red ringer tee for our guy because it is very true.

The first thing that impressed me was how fast our shirt got to us - it was in the mailbox with three days. I could wait to see what is looked like so I immediately ripped open the package. I loved the shirt the moment I touched it. It is one of the softest, silky t-shirts I have ever touched. It is so unbelievable soft that I put it on Little Man right then, it didn't need washed to soften it up.

The screen printed image is of the highest quality. it is not sticky or rubbery like the type that crack and peel. It looks and feels like it is part of the fabric. It is also nice and large and fills the front of the shirt. Little Man loves this shirt because when we showed him where his name was he kept pointing to it and saying his name.

Pipsqueak Boutique also offers the most adorable personalized birthday shirts for toddlers and first birthday shirts. I will be another shirt for Little Man for his birthday shirt in December. I am thinking one of these two:

The personalized birthday shirts for toddler girls are to die for, too. And Peanut's birthday is coming up in February...

If you are looking for a personalized birthday shirt for your little one or just a super cute personalized shirt I would definitely recommend that you check out Pipsqueak Boutique. You won't be disappointed.

Disclosure: I received an awesome personalized shirt to facilitate this review. Opinions are genuine and my own. No additional compensation was received.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 38/52

2011-10-12T19:15:00.001-07:00

Better late than never. I am traveling, again and the babysitter sent me these pictures of the kiddos at dinner. How she knew I missed them and needed to see them is unknown. But she made my night.

Tasty Tuesday ~ Chicken Tetrazzini with Broccoli

2011-10-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

I got the original of this recipe from a co-worker when we volunteered and cooked dinner at our local Ronald McDonald House. Which was really a lot of fun and I am looking forward to doing it again in December

Anyway, I took the original and over the course of making it at least once a month for the last year and a half, I have come up with our version of chicken tetrazzini. I increased the butter and use whole milk instead of skim for a richer taste and creamier sauce, but you could definitely make those changes if you are concerned about calories or fat content.

Ingredients:

4 cups broccoli florets
4 cups sliced mushrooms (I prefer a mixture of crimini and button)
12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 stick butter (you can use less)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons Penzey's Italian seasoning
1/2 cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cup shredded Parmesan* (reserve 3/4 cup)
2 tbsp dry sherry
4 cups chopped cooked chicken
salt/pepper

*We prefer a Parmesan, Asiago, Romano blend, but any strong cheese, such as Asiago, Gruyére, Swiss, or Parmesan, will do.

I have found with this recipe that is much easier to have everything prepped, measured and ready at hand before I start.

Cook chicken, cube and set aside. (We usually grill extra on the weekend and use that but you can grill or fry yours, or even use a rotisserie chicken from the store)
Steam broccoli until tender; remove broccoli and drain.
Bring water to a boil; add spaghetti. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and garlic; saute until tender.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.
Stir flour into mushroom mixture.
Gradually add Chicken Stock and milk; stir well with a whisk.
Bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally.
Add cheese, sherry, salt, and pepper; stir well.
Remove from heat, and stir in chicken.
Add sauce mixture and broccoli to noodle, toss to combine.
Serve with remaining Parmesan.

I am not a chef or a food photographer, but it is one tasty meal and it makes me hungry just writing this post!

Play Room Update

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons we bought this house is the large basement. It is one large open space and we weren't and still aren't sure what will do with it long term, but we did know immediately that part of it would be a playroom for the kiddos.

There is a space, right at the bottom of the stairs, that is perfect for a play area. I can see it from upstairs, it can be gated from the rest of the basement to keep the kids contained (although we don't), it has a window with great light and enough space to hold most of the kids toys.

The play kitchen, most of the toys, dress up, art stuff and other kid things are down there. And it is awesome because I don't have to worry about picking it up all the time because I don't see it.

I decided that the big wall would be awesome as a chalkboard and I got a wild idea to just paint is. Thankfully Hubby stepped in and came up with a much better solution. He got two large sheets of Masonite and screwed them into the studs so we had a super smooth surface to start with. Then we added several thin coats of metallic primer primer to the middle section and then a couple coats of the chalkboard paint. I couldn't be happier with the result!

The kiddos both love the chalkboard wall almost as much as mama loves it. Peanut is quite the artist and Little Man just practices lines and the out come is all art in my book.

Once the chalkboard wall was up, we decided the room needed some color. We ran to Home Depot and picked a color and this is what we ended up with. Now I just need to get pictures on the walls.

Peanut's art supply shelves in the corner and the play kitchen. The wall color is "Lettuce Us Alone" in satin Olympic No VOC.

The view from the stairs of the art table and chalk board.

This rocking horse was made for me by a co-worker of my moms when I was Little Man's age. Now it is my kids and they love it.

It is so nice having this area finished so the kids can down stairs and play in their own space, make a mess, draw on the chalkboard and I don't have to anxious about it not being clean or picked up all the time. Now to move the rest of the toys down there...

Wordless Wednesday ~ 37/52

2011-10-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

Cartoons, Cereal and Cuddles ~ the perfect way to start a Saturday.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 36/52

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

He has the best smooshy sleepy face. This is from our road trip last weekend.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 35/52

2011-09-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Reading before bed. They are both obsessed with finding Goldbug in "Cars and Truck and Things That Go".

Sweet Shot Tuesday

2011-09-13T02:30:00.000-07:00

Hubby snagged this of our little big man at Peanut soccer game Saturday.

(More on Peanut's game to come.)

Remembering

2011-09-12T21:44:00.001-07:00

She Is What Its All About, originally uploaded by The Lungos.

10 years. One decade. A lifetime or more to some. A fraction of time to others.

I remember so vividly that day ~ where I was at what I was doing and the overwhelming terror and sadness I felt when I realized that it was not an accident as the second plane stuck. I also remember the fear and uncertainty in following days, weeks, months and even years.

It was 6 years later that I took this picture and wrote down here what I was feeling.

I sat down several times yesterday to write about it and couldn't. My words weren't and aren't enough to convey my feelings or do justice to those who lost loved ones. So, instead of writing a blog post I spent yesterday with my heart both heavy and happy as I enjoyed the day with my family. I played with my kids and hugged them close. I kissed my husband. I lived. I made new memories to associate with date 9/11 ~ happy memories. Memories not to erase what happened 10 years ago, but memories to remind me that I have a life to be thankful for and that I should live it to the fullest each day.

I am linking this picture up with The Paper Mama Photo Challenge this week. Stop by and see the other great pictures.

From Six To (at least) Sixty

2011-09-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

Six years ago, on a Friday just like this, we officially becameThe Lungos. It was a beautiful Seattle fall day with rain (of course) in themorning and a gorgeous sunset that night. Surrounded by friends and family welove, we made a commitment to each other. For me, it is a promise stronger andmore binding than any other.

And it has been a great six years. I am not saying that ithas always been smooth sailing or easy, because it hasn’t. We have tested ourrelationship, our patience and our marriage with children and sleepless nights;with moving to a different state and living with my parents while we sold ourhouse; with buying a new house and moving while expecting another child - butthrough all that and more, it has been great.

We have built a life TOGETHER. We have amazing children thatwe are raising TOGETHER. We have weathered tough times TOGETHER. And here weare, with six years of marriage and almost ten years as a couple under ourbelts and we are still TOGETHER. And all of those things make my heart happy.

So here’s a Happy and Sappy 6th Anniversary to myamazing, fantastic, hottie of a husband! I am blessed to wake up to you everyday and I love you more with each passing year. Six down and at least sixty more to go!

More awesome pictures (by my awesome brother-in-law) of our wedding are here.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 34/52

2011-09-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Hope you did too!

Wordless Wednesday ~ 33/52

2011-08-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

My view from the parking garage at work. What a great way to start the day. Boise Balloonfest has begun.

Be sure to check out Wordless Wednesday Link-Ups at these other sites also:

Angry Julie Monday, Project Alicia, Better in Bulk, By Word of Mouth Musings, Dear Crissy, Five Minutes For Mom,Joy of Desserts, Live and Love…Out Loud,Parenting By Dummies, Seven Clown Circus, Supermom, The Divine Miss Mommy

Tasty Tuesday ~ Chicken Salsa Verde

2011-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is one of my go-to recipes. (It is my version of a Rachael Ray recipe a co-worker gave me a while back) I make sure I always have the ingredients on hand because it is quick and easy and the kids will eat it. Actually, everyone in my house loves it. Hubby and the kiddos managed to eat half of it before I could get a picture.

Ingredients*

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Two 16-ounce jars salsa verde
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup sour cream
3-4 cups crushed tortilla chips
One 8-ounce bag shredded Mexican-style cheese

* This recipe is easily alterable to suit your tastes or current pantry - I sometimes will throw in some corn or use kidney beans if I am out of black beans. And most of the time, I use leftover roasted chicken or I will have Hubby grill a few extra chicken breasts on the weekend. But you could easily grab a rotisserie chicken from the deli or even shred leftover pork roast.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
Let stand until cool, then shred the meat into a large bowl.
Stir in the salsa black beans, onion and sour cream.
Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.Scatter 1 cup tortilla chips on the bottom and top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese.
Repeat the layers and cover with the remaining 1 cup tortilla chips.
Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Serve with cilantro, sliced tomatoes, avocado, salsa or other garnish of your choice.

As a working mom, it is really important for me to have some quick, easy and tasty recipes to fall back on when we are running late or when Hubby is not home to cook. And recipes like this usually give me 2 nights of dinner or dinner and leftovers for lunch!

I hope you will give this a try and come back and let me know what you did to make it your own and what you thought of it!

Bon Appetite & Enjoy!

I am also linking up with Tasty Tuesday on For the Love of Blogs. You should swing by and check out some of the tasty recipes.

Cleaning Out the Clutter

2011-08-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a garage sale. It was really last minute but long overdue. We had one last year and 4 boxes of unsold stuff were still sitting the garage and needed to go, as well as 3 large boxes of clothes and other items I cleared out of the house.

We did pretty well – we earned about $350 in 5 hours and moved quite a bit of stuff. I will clarify that $150 of that total came from Hubby selling his road bike that he hadn’t ridden since 2007 when he bought his Surly.

Anyway, I priced all of the kid’s clothes at $0.25 or less and my clothes were $0.25 - $3.00 which the bulk of stuff for sale was. That tells me that I sold a lot of stuff to total close to $200!

But even more important than actually making some money at the garage sale was the fact that I cleared some really unnecessary clutter out of our home and life. I am notorious for collecting and hanging on to things and stuff and I am really trying to get over that. I really want to simplify our lives and focus on filling my family’s life with important people and memories instead of the “stuff” we fill our lives with. But it is hard for me to part with that dress from 1999 that is waaaaaay to small and will most likely never fit again. Why? I don’t know but damn, Gina, I am attached to crap like that.

Stuff is just stuff and just filler. The good stuff in life is the people who are important to us and spending time with them and making lasting memories.

Going forward, I am going to working on the de-cluttering and TRY and keep the accumulation of stuff to minimum, but it will be hard for me. Hubby, on the other hand, is more minimalist and has no problem with the de-clutter of our lives so he will be my zen master and guide on this journey.

Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday ~ 32/52

2011-08-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

A few pictures from this weekend that made me happy:

Clean diapers drying on my new clothesline (thanks Hubby)

Lots of yummy veggies growing in the garden (thanks Hubby)

A new swing-set for the kiddos that was built by Hubby (thanks Hubby!)

Wordless Wednesday ~ 31/52

2011-08-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

Peanut is starting soccer in a few weeks and dada took her to pick out her gear this weekend.

Working Mama Woes

2011-08-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

I travel as part of my job. Not a lot and not far but I am required to travel. Usually it is for one or two nights and I don’t actually mind having a quiet hotel room to myself for the evening. I always miss my family like crazy, but sometimes the quiet is good for me mentally.

Today I am traveling to Denver, just overnight. Not a big deal except my baby boy, my snuggle puppy (great Sandra Boynton book and one of Little Man’s favorites) is not feeling well. He woke up around 4 screaming for mama and nothing would calm him down. We rocked, we snuggled we walked we climbed in bed with dada, but nothing soothed him.

When I handed him to Hubby and kissed him goodbye he screamed. SCREAMED. And it broke my heart. It was all I could do not to break down right there. He wanted me to hold him, comfort him, snuggle him. And I couldn’t because I had to get on a plane to Denver.

I called to check in from the plane before and Hubby is keeping the kids home with him today because Little Man will not stop crying. We think it is a combo of 2 year molars and a tummy ache, but if he doesn’t settle down, Hubby is going to take him to the doctor.

It kills me that I am away from home when my baby needs me. He is in the best care available with Hubby, his dada who is the best at making anyone feel better, but I still feel like a rotten mama when I walk out the door hear my baby screaming for me.

I got an update from Hubby just a few minutes ago that my boy woke up with a high fever and they were off to the doctor and he would keep me posted.

Now I wait and miss my family, and try to focus on work.

Late-Night Kid Conversations

2011-08-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Peanut is a bit of a sleep walker and sleep talker. A few nights ago we had the this short, but interesting conversation:

Peanut: Dada. Dada. Dada.

Me: Honey, it's mama. What do you need?

Peanut: I need to go potty.

::I pick her up, carry her into the bathroom and get her on the potty. When she's done we wash hands and I carry her back to her bed::

Me: Good night, Peanut.

::kiss her on the forehead::

Peanut: We had banana chips at school today and I liked them.

When I asked her in the morning about it, she had no memory of getting up or telling me that she liked banana chips. She did proceed to tell me at length all about the banana chips, though.

Wordless Wednesday ~ 30/52

2011-08-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Daycare Blues ~ Part 2

2011-08-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

Way back in May 2010, I wrote here about our experience with daycare. I am finally getting around to the next chapter.

::March/April 2007::

After driving by the next school on the list and not even stopping, we pulled over to discuss our options. We came to the conclusion that we were going to get what we were willing to pay for. It was decided. I called Miss Adrienne and told her we wanted the spot and would be by shortly to drop off our paperwork and deposit.

A week or so before Peanut's first official day at school, I made arrangements for a trial run to see how she and I both handled it. We got up, got ready, did the drive and the the drop off.

The dreaded drop off.

And it wasn't bad at all.

I punched in our security code and went into the building. It was bustling with parents and kids in the middle of coming and going. And everyone appeared okay. I walked into the infant room and was immediately greeted by Miss Viktoriya and adorable baby boy in her arms. It was early so he was the only baby there yet and she held him the entire time she walked me (very patiently) through what would become our morning routine.

I put Peanut's pre-labeled bottles in the fridge, her blanket in her crib, her clothes in her drawer and I filled out her daily sheet all while Miss Viktoriya held the other baby and talked to me and Peanut. She was amazing. I held Peanut and we then chatted about how long I would be gone, Peanut's schedule for eating/sleeping and what Miss Viktoriya had planned for the day.

Sometime during the conversation Miss Viktoriya had put the little boy on the floor with some toys and was now reach for Peanut. Peanut was a little hesitant but she didn't cry. I kissed her and walked out the door.

I made it all the way to Starbucks before it hit me that she really wasn't in the back seat and I could go in and enjoy a cup of coffee alone. It was weird.

I was also hard for me to really kill 3 hours before I went back to pick up Peanut. I didn't even remember what I did.

Finally it was time to go pick her up! When I got there, it was all I could do not to run in and grab her. But, I was instantly at ease when I walked in and saw her in Miss Viktoriya's lap on the floor playing. I just stood in the doorway with a smile and watched until she noticed me.

After that, I knew I would be okay with her at school and that she would be more than okay at school. We enjoyed the next few weeks at home and when her official first day rolled around, it was a good. I cried a little and she didn't even notice.

TO BE CONTINUED

All is Right With the World

2011-08-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Way back in February I wrote here about my drama with Pottery Barn Kids and a doll Peanut got for Christmas.

After I posted the story on the blog and commented on Pottery Barn’s Facebook Page and website, I received a request to contact someone directly at Williams-Sonoma Inc. Corporate Customer Relations ~ so I did and I left my contact information.

We played phone tag for a week or so until we were finally able to connect. She apologized sincerely for the trouble and the issue and assured me that there sales team was working with the vendor to identify and correct any issues. ( I was pretty sure that I had already identified the issue – they just needed to fix it.) Anyway, she said she would call me back within a week to let me know what, if anything she found out.

About a week later I had a voicemail from her saying that she hadn’t heard anything but she would keep me posted. I think this was early March. Maybe another week went by and I talked to her and she explained that as far as she knew, everything was fine on the manufacturing side and she offered to send us one last doll.

I said sure.

Hubby just shook his head because he knew that if I got another doll with crappy hair, I would totally lose it, but I wanted to give Pottery Barn one last chance to redeem themselves.

On April 6^th I received this email:

Hi Amanda,

As follow-up to our phone conversation yesterday, I attempted to request another replacement Chloe doll be sent only to learn that we are totally out of stock and this doll is on backorder until August 2011. If you would like to wait, I will put you on the backorder allocation list so that you will receive a replacement when our next shipment arrives in August.

Please let me know.

Warmest regards,

Jane Doe
Williams-Sonoma Inc.
Corporate Customer Relations

Now I honestly believe that if there was nothing wrong with the manufacturing, they would have been able to send me a doll right away or within a couple of weeks. 5 months is a long time for a something to be out of stock if there is nothing wrong with your manufacturing process. My guess (and it is just that, a guess) is that they did discover I was right and the manufacturer was screwing up the dolls and they had to fix something or find a new manufacturer.

Anyway, I responded and told her we would be happy to wait for a new doll. She said she would check in every few weeks and then let me know when the doll shipped.

That was the last I heard from her.

Whatever.

August was a ways off so I kind of put it out of my mind until last week when a box from Pottery Barn Kids arrived addressed to Peanut.

Guess what was inside:

L: New doll from PBK with good hair R: 4th doll from PBK with crappy hair

We finally got the doll one would expect from Pottery Barn Kids. And although I have yet to hear from our Corporate Customer Relations persons, I do thank her for getting Peanut the doll and I thank Pottery Barn Kids for making this right.

And yes, Peanut did notice a difference right away with the hair.