A Little Humor

This afternoon, we saw that our friend Chris, (husband to my dear friend Corinne), posted this hilarious video on his Facebook account.

I don't know whether it's real, but it's stinkin' hilarious.

I have a few posts in the works and I'm scrambling to get some fun stuff together for this week.  In the meantime though, I do hope you have a good laugh.

I'm So Weird

I'm sitting here, contemplating what snack will satisfy my fickle taste buds, and I realized that my cravings, (which mark EVERY pregnancy distinctly), are probably thoroughly amusing, (or at least disgusting), to the average reader. 

I've been sick with a cold, too, so the cravings get weirder. 

Anyway, with my pregnancies, I crave certain foods with ridiculous intensity.  Nothing tastes good until I can eat that ONE food that's on my mind.  And when I eat that food?  It's like... the best... the most delcious... the most delectable entree that you could imagine. 

The same goes for my food aversions.  But they're far less interesting.  I'll post a small list anyway. 

So, here, for your amusement or disgust, are the most recent things that have caught the attention of my tastebuds, (or made me run for the hills).

Cravings
Gherkin pickles
Watermelon
Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips
Mashed Potatoes and Corn (this is EVERY pregnancy)
Steamed Broccoli
French Onion Dip
Chocolate Pudding
Greasy Tacos
Tomato Sandwiches with Miracle Whip and Cheese
Cranberry Juice and Ginger Ale
Fresh Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies
Giant Salads (but often this gets thwarted by the effort involved in prep).
Cheese of any kind, especially combined with Salads. 
Sweet Tea
Butterscotch
Hard Apple Cider
Cottage Cheese and Pineapple (that's right now...  might need a trip to the store)
Peach Yogurt
Eggrolls

Aversions
Chicken
Mexican Food with a Smokey Sauce
Pasta(!) with Tomato Sauce (unless it's smothered in cheese)
Bacon (GAG!)
Dog Food (duh)

That's about it so far.  It'll get weirder and crazier as things go. For now, who's running to the store for my cottage cheese and cantelope?

Government To Outlaw Resale of Children's Products by Feb 10th

Yeah, you read that right.  Come February 10th, it will be illegal to sell used kids' clothing and toys without proof that the said items have been tested and are free from lead and pthalates. 

According to Baby Cheapskate:

You will no longer be able to place used children's clothes or toys into the "stream of commerce" unless you can prove that they've been tested for lead and pthalates. As I and others understand it, that means no selling items without such proof on ebay, Craigslist, yard sales, and church/organization consignment sales (See if your favorite sales are still scheduled). Of course, that means no buying kids' clothes and toys without certification from these sources either. This act could easily triple the amount that many families pay to clothe their kid until there are enough second-hand items manufactured after Feb. 10 to replenish the second-hand market (and even then it's likely that prices at thrift stores, etc. will be higher due to the added cost of testing them). It will absolutely eliminate the notion of recouping any of the cost of older items through reselling.

Stinks, no?  I know that we depend a lot on second hand clothing and toys to help eliminate costs and also to prevent the useless manufacturing of more toys when there are so many toys out there that have been hardly used.  (Not to mention, vintage toys like Little People are SO MUCH COOLER than the current day toys).

While I understand the aim for safety for kids, this goes a little too far in the wrong direction. 

I'm still in the midst of researching and finding out more about this new law, so if you have more information, please let me know.  Meanwhile, if you're of the mind to help support thrifting and resale shops as well as preserving your right to sell used children's items as you're able, post about this and contact your local lawmakers. 

Christmas Morning Spontaneity

Christmas was so much FUN this year!  Bean glowed all throughout the weeks going up to Christmas day.  "Mommy, is today Christmas time?"  was pretty much a daily question.  Christmas is never really one day in our family with all of the branches that we have, so Bean got a ton of different days of fun.

But for Christmas morning, we decided to do something unusual to mark the day.

Shaun picked up a pack of pink balloons at Target a week or two before and on Christmas Eve, we blew them up, (ok, Shaun and his parents did... I was too busy playing DDR... hehe).  And then we took all 20 of them and piled them into her room on the floor.

The next morning, over the monitor, I heard Bean exclaim, "Mom!  Mom?  MOMMY!  What ARE these things?"

The two of us walked in there and she said "HEY!  How...  how... how did these GET here?!"

Shaun asked her how she thought they got there and she said,

"I went to sleep... and... and then?  Then morning came and my eyes woke up and the balloons were EVERYWHERE!" 

We spent the next 40 minutes bouncing balloons in and out of her bed, off each other's head's, onto the floor, up in the air.  We had a total blast.  It was actually hard to convince her to leave the room for the presents in the living room.

I have to say, I married the most awesome guy in the world.  He often goes out of his way to make every day special for the girls in some small way.  It totally makes me smile.  He's great :)

A Dose of Humor

OH!  In all the holiday insanity, I completely forgot to link over to an entry that got published on A Dose of Humor this past Saturday.  For long term readers, you may have read it before, but I encourage you to go check out the site!  It's great!  For new readers, I hope you laugh as much as we did :)

Happy Thursday!

Happy New Year!

This year, I'm making resolutions.  I never make them.  But this year?  I'm making them.

In 2009,

1.  I will smile more often.  I will smile at strangers and friends.  I will smile at my kids all day long.  I will smile when I feel like yelling, in hopes of diffusing anger.  I will smile when someone frowns, in hopes of brightening a day.

2.  I will laugh more easily.  I will not take myself too seriously.  I will laugh at the antics of my kids (and my husband).  I will laugh in the face of stressors.  As often as I can, I will laugh so hard it hurts my stomach. (Laughing is a great workout!)  I will seek out others to laugh with me.  My house will ring with laughter day in and day out.

3.  I will be more generous to those in need.  I will cheerfully share a smile, a dollar, my time, a hug, whatever is needed.  I will seek opportunities to help others.  I will teach my kids to share well and share often, both with family and friends as well as those we don't know.

4.  I will live in the moment.  My time with my kids will not perpetually marred by a multi-tasking mom.  I'll take time daily to get down on the floor and play.  I'll actively listen to others and stop thinking of my next step in the day.

5.  I will TRY not to stress about having another baby while my second born is merely 15 months.  (TRY!  I said, TRY!)

6.  I will pray often.

7.  I will drink more water.

8.  I will seek out the beautiful moments in life and embrace them with every ounce of my being.  Because those still, small moments are what make life on this planet worth living. 

Happy New Year, everyone!  May your 2009 be heaped full of what makes life beautiful.

Squishy Bean Peanuts? Goo?

We had a busy day yesterday. Shaun and I competed in Wii bowling until our arms were about to fall off. Then Shaun concocted a delicious pasta, cheese, sauce meal. (i just had it for breakfast). Then a great babysitter (hi Marilyn!) came to watch Bean while Shaun, C and I ventured to the doctor to see our new baby for the first time. Later, I went out with some girlfriends. Nice day!

Oh, you have a question? What'd I eat when I went out? Shrimp, fries and a huge salad. Delicious.

That wasn't it? How do we like the Wii? It's AWESOME!

Somehow I sense that you want clarification about something else...

What baby? Oh! The one currently gestating in my belly. Yup, we're excited to meet number 3, due in the beginning of August. Yes, we were surprised, but we're nothing less than overjoyed! And yes, we'll be excited for a boy, but no more than if it's a girl.

That was your question? Thought so :)