Summertime. . .and the livin’ is easy 12:58 AM

My summer consisted a lot of:

 

sand and water

 

just your basic dog days of summer. . .

and stopping to pick the flowers. . .

 

*family vacay to the beach (Panama City Beach in Florida)

*11th Annual 4th of July Bash at the Lake – great gathering of friends, old and new

(fabulous pics taken by Ashley)

*lots of popsicles and playdates, haircuts, family, friends, celebrations

 

*watching the progress on our deck rebuild and patio and driveway additions

 

*bought 6 new snails and one crab for the fish tank. Only 2 of which are left.

*Had a gruesome injury and long recovery process for one of our dogs.

*Bought a City Pass for our own city that allowed us to go to 6 different places within 9 days for a slightly discounted price. Including: World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium,

 

Zoo Atlanta

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

and the High Museum of Art

  

*Amended my summer reading list a bit after the embarrassing no show at the bar during What are you reading? week with Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes and blazing through the Twilight series.

That about wraps it up.

property law, as viewed by a toddler 11:14 AM

To the moms on Smartini - I saw this on Facebook this morning.

Perhaps you can tell me if this list is accurate:

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks like it's mine, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If I can see it, it's mine.
10. If I think it's mine, it's mine.
11. If I want it, it's mine.
12. If I "need it, it's mine (yes, I know the difference between "want" and need"!).
13. If I say it's mine, it's mine.
14. If you don't stop me from playing with it, it's mine.
15. If you tell me I can play with it, it's mine.
16. If it will upset me too much when you take it away from me, it's mine.
17. If I (think I) can play with it better than you can, it's mine.
18. If I play with it long enough, it's mine.
19. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it's mine.
20. If it's broken, it's yours (no wait, all the pieces are mine).

Une petite fille 11:28 PM

Where can I order one of these? I don't think I want children, but if I can get one just like this, I'm in!  This was just too cute not to share. Hope you like.



Don't lie. You were very impressed with her ability to speak French at first, weren't you? She seems, like, uber-smart!
Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

E*Trade Baby Outtakes 8:56 PM

I especially like the Time Out and Oh My Goodness... ones. Enjoy!

Mama's in the Sauce 9:39 PM

As a new (temporary?!) SAHM, I've devised a plan to get me through the day. Feel free to partake if you have kids at home as well. The rules are simple:


Take a drink:
*For every article of clothing you have to re-fasten or replace on the child's body

*For every meal you feed - to humans or canines

*For every phrase you have to repeat:
~if within a 30 second period, take 2 shots,
~if during a movie or cartoon, just chug until over; you will be repeating yourself the entire time anyway until the hypnosis wears off,
~if the phrase is "no" go ahead and finish your glass
~for every phrase you hear repeated back to you that should not have been uttered in the first place, or fallen on such innocent ears. Such as "Jesus!" or "GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!" to the canine staff during meal time. There's something disconcerting about such force coming out of a little sweet package.

*Every time you have to close your eyes and deep breathe, might as well have the bottle to your lips

*For every mess you have to clean up more than once

*For every mess you have pointed out to you that you just didn't really want to know or think about - PopTart fingers grabbing onto the back of the chair; unknown brown substance; known brown substance, etc.

*For every unknown substance you have to dig out of your child's mouth.

*Any time the decibel level elevates, whether it be your own voice yelling or your children's happy squealing or whining requests that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up and internally cringe.

*Any time you manage to multitask and accomplish something, especially if under the guise of a "game" or "fun": Laundry! Unloading the dishwasher! Recycling mama's empty wine bottles!


Be sure to partake in nap time, as you will need it!

Happiness Is. . . 1:43 PM

~Emails and blogging really get me through. The social network, support and encouragement is amazing. Humor, compassion, and shoe shopping! What more could a gal ask for?

~Diet CHERRY coke. The Cherry ingredient is key. Or even Coke Cherry Zero.

~SPELLCHECKER! And dictionaries and thesaurus for that matter. Basically, instant information at your fingertips. Immediate answers to any questions you may have, access to videos, music. .you get the picture. the Internet itself just rocks.

~Dancing

~TiVo. I heart TiVo soooo much. And I love my shows and being able to watch them when I can. Being able to have the interruptions and pause and not get frustrated. It gives me a life, actually, because otherwise, I'd really be glued to the TV too much.

~My bedtime routine. One of my favorite times of the day is checking on my kids when I'm finally headed to bed myself. I have a routine of setting down the ice water, turning on specific lights that are dim enough not to disturb, but offer enough for me to get a good glimpse. I was always the babysitter that would wake the sleeping children to be sure they were still breathing. I'm still that mom, too, except I know how to check now, without waking! If I don't hear audible noises, I will rest my hand on the chest to feel the warmth and rise and fall. Pulling the covers that have been kicked off back over the little bodies. The peaceful slumber. Moving from one room to the next. The cricket noise machine. It's reassuring for me to go to sleep now. Then, there's the snoring of Hubby when I enter our room, the small fan we have for white noise running and the dogs sprawled out that I have to wrestle a spot from.

~Kissing Hubby when we first get home. Even the teasing accusing question, "did you kiss me when you got home?" if we neglect to do it right away. Also, the kissy noises we exchange when saying good night or leaving (usually on different schedules with each other).

~Being greeted by the dogs and the little noises they make throughout the day. Even when they are annoying me, I know how strange it is to come home to an empty house. It's way too quiet. I miss the clack of their nails on the hardwood floors or the sound of them shaking off after waking up from a nap.

~Much like seeing the fish swim around and that the plants aren't droopy. .I may not think about them much, but I'm relieved when I do take notice to see them thriving.

~Also, similarly, I enjoy the sounds you learn that you don't even think about until someone new enters and is startled, inquisitive, etc. Like the ice maker, the squeaky faucet being turned on upstairs, the garage door opening, the clink of Hubby's weights, the water running in the pipes from the washing machine. Hearing and knowing these sounds is comforting to me.

~Little Man flopping his head down on your shoulder or chest. Sweet Pea never relaxed much, but Little Man is a superb snuggler and it's just the best feeling in the world when he lays against you or into you.

~Watching them interact with each other. It's so sweet. And I know it won't always be, so I truly treasure it now. Especially when they are laughing. Or competition squealing.

Sunday Silly: Caption This Contest 9:57 PM

Since the Smartini girls are some fierce competitors, I'm giving you our very first* contest. Caption this photo of my dog that I took yesterday morning after my shower. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday night, and they will be able to submit any question to this barmaid to be answered at my next shift.**

(Your Caption Here!)

* Right? Have we had other contests? I can't remember, too lazy to check. I'm sure my fellow tenders of the bar will correct me if I'm wrong!*

**This may be an abuse of the Smartini forum, but what the heck? It's Sunday night. I adore this picture and thought some of you might find it humorous as well. (Actually, there is a series of three separate expressions, this one being the first.) Please note: He was not locked in his crate, just enclosed in a smaller area - of which his crate is a part - so he doesn't wreak havoc when unsupervised, i.e. see photo. **