Squirrel Moment #1000

It was freezing on Wednesday so I attempted to clean off my desk. There is hope that one day I will actually find the wood surface. Hope springs eternal. I found these torn off calendar pages that say, "You know you are a Redneck if......" Several questions came to mind. One, I never had a calender that was like that. Where did that come from? Two, why did I think it was necessary to keep these little slips of paper. Three, I think the Girl Scout Cookie one might actually apply to me. Does that REALLY make me a Redneck? I just read an article that roommates got in fight over thin mints. They are definitely REDNECK. Oh by the way, this did nothing to get my desk clean

For definition of a squirrel moment see here.

40 by 40 February

I wish I had stellar results to report. I am standing tall or pudgy at 234lbs. I experimented with the 17 day diet. I don't think it is for me. March is got to be better. I did convince my Hubby to walk the track with me once. My goal for March is more walking and better portion control. Nothing radical just plain old common sense.

Ninja Rock Monsters

I never where I am going to find Lego's posed in my house. I couldn't decide if these were Ninja Rock Monsters or simply Towel Bandits. I keep a bucket of towels by the back door to dry off the dog. Hey, I live in the Pacific Northwest and wet dog is a common occurrence.

I found these Lego Rock Monsters nestled in the towels ready to pounce.

Wordless Wednesday

Leprechaun Beard

The Diva is into facial hair, seriously. She is always making mustaches and what not. So I knew a leprechaun beard was right up her alley. I got the beard idea from the blog No Time for Flashcards.

Hail

It was hailing here last night. It was LOUD. It is not a common occurrence in our part of the world. We woke to hale covering everything. Needless to say, I really impressed some High Schoolers waiting for the bus as my tires spun and spun. It also impressed the little people in the back of the car. We also watched a bus slide sideways. GOOD TIMES

INSERT VENT

Hey, CITY OF FERNDALE, hail is slick. How much does it cost to throw down a little sand especially on the hill that the buses use to carry the majority of the kids to school?

No Excuses

Once upon a time I had a honeypot sitting behind my house. Now, I have a track. What is God trying to say to me? There really can't be any excuses why I can't go walking. I practically have a track in my own backyard. The PTO at the school Chuckles attends raised money with their Walk a Jog a Thon for a track. In the past, I have all kind of excuses why I couldn't find time to walk around it. I have been watching (not in a stalker way) several ladies of the plus size variety do their walk around it. If they can do it, I can do it too.

So, I walked around the track 5 times this afternoon. That is 1 mile according to the all knowing Mrs Respiratory Therapist. I did it. I will it was pretty boring but I did my exercise for the day. I can't help it if my shadow looks like a blob.

Jazzing up the Mommy Uniform

This is the cute necklace I got last week. The charm part is interchangeable. I am wearing it to upgrade my uniform of jean, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. You know the Mommy Uniform. I usually don't wear any jewelry except my wedding ring and earrings but this spoke to me. LOL

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Anniversary

Happy 41st Anniversary

MOM AND DAD!!!

41 years going strong

a union of the heart

the art of being sweethearts perfected

from the start

may these hearts never part

Got Mail

I just love this picture of Chuckles looking out of Nonna's Mail Slot when he was little. I thought I should share the Valentine's I sent out.

It was based on the this Valentine at DIY Maven. This is probably the hardest Valentine I have attempted. I am usually not allowed to play with sharp objects, LOL. This was a lot of exacto knife work. I made about 14 of these. Each one is literally one of a kind. I have been holding on to this idea since last Valentine's Day. I would of liked to send out more but I just ran out of steam.

Squirrel Moment #999

This might need to become a regular feature on this blog. See here for a better definition of Squirrel Moment. Well, this week was not without the general odd moments that I seem to encounter. I was out and about with Mrs Epi when we literally saw a Blue Man. His skin was clearly blue. I don't even know what we were talking about when we saw this guy. Turns out he was once featured on the Today show. We were a little obsessed because we had to find out what happened to this guy. You know google is your friend.



Then once again we were out and about and we saw this KFC bucket on top of a chicken coop.
Oh so redneck and so funny. I wished I had my real camera instead of my phone but it gives you the general idea.

40 by 40 Feb 5 -11

I just like this commercial (below) especially the quote it ends with, "free yourself."


I am still without a pedometer. So here are the stats .

Ending weight - 233.5

Hey, I am pretty much maintaining. Still don't have the mojo back. Several simultaneous stressful things are happening. So I am just hanging in there and this will pass, right

Book it 2011- Choose your own adventure

I did Choose Your Own Adventure/booking it on your own book track for January as Part of Life as Mom's Book It 2011. I didn't get much reading done. BUT I read this reallygood book, Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin. It is about the dancer Li Cunxin, an autobiography, who defected from China to the United States. Oh what an amazing life this man has had. It was a riveting read. I had a really hard time putting this one down.

Li Cunxin talked a lot about the ballet Red Detachment of Woman, Chinese Ballet. This ballet is currently being put on by Beijing Ballet. This ballet originated during Mao's reign. Li Cunxin talked a lot about this ballet. It was a feature on the CBS Evening News on Jan 30th.
It also highlighted to me how little I know about Chinese History especially recent history. It seemed very ironic that I was reading this during the Chinese President Hu Jintao visit to the White House. I also read this during when the Tiger Mom article came out. Li talks about his mother and his family's high expectations. He had a very meager start in life. His parents were peasants during Mao's reign It was a really fascinating read and more than just about ballet. It really tells about his journey and pursuit of excellence. Li Cunxin had big dreams and really worked hard to make those dreams happen.

Owl Be Yours

I have been busy trying to come up with a cute homemade Valentine that Chuck could make and take to school. They are not being allowed to bring anything store bought. Here are some of the samples with the links. The one above is one I made just because. I can't resist a good craft.

Family Fun Owl. The Diva liked this one. It is the easiest one to cut out. Here are some of her Owls.

Kids and Glitter OWL - This is the one I ended up going with for Chuckles school Valentine's.

It is a lot of cutting so I helped Chuckles with that. I had the foamies from last year. They are from the dollar store. I did modify the PDF in Photoshop Elements to include the Valentine Sayings. Chuckles has to address 24 of these Valentine's. I'm all about simple or somewhat simple.

Have Tiara, Will Travel

We went to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Production of Cinderella. It was all in the spirit of cultural enrichment. We went for Nonna's Birthday. Unfortunately she was unable to go but she wanted us to go and report back. I got Nonna and I tiara's to wear and the boys crowns. Usually the afternoon performances are called dress up matinees. I chickened out at the last minute wearing the crown. (Mrs Epi did allow me to wear it in the adventure van)

We have been to performances where the adults dressed up but I didn't see any at this one. However there were plenty of little girls in princess dresses and tiara's.I really enjoyed this ballet. The story line is so recognizable and the dancing was unbelievable. The ugly step sisters were outstanding and very funny. This is a good ballet to take kids too though a little bit on the long side. There were two intermissions.

Chuck really enjoyed the crown and looking through the binoculars. The 3 year old boy sitting in front of us was extremely jealous he didn't have a crown.

Get your Game On!

The other day we were in Trader Joe's and I couldn't resist taking this photo. Have a great Superbowl Sunday!

40 by 40 Jan 28 -Feb 4

Steps walked 49,591 - NOT GOOD - I also managed to drop my pedometer on Thursday and basically break it. NO, I didn't drop it in the toilet. Me and mechanical devices have a history.

Ending weight - 234.5 up a 1.5 lb - UGGH!

There is a lot of buzz about this 17 day diet. I might give this a go. But as you can tell from the ending weight above I am not dieting. I am losing my mojo a little bit. Goal for the coming week is to get the mojo back.

Linky Love

Chuckles

Just wanted to spread some linky love.

Surviving a Snow Day(funny parenting tips) from Dawn Meehan. Since most of the country is paralyzed with snow or ice. This is a good funny read.

Ground Hog's Replay conversation with the Polyester Princess from Last Year. Just because it is funny. By the way the Groundhog didn't see his shadow so spring is on the way. I know I am a day late but that is par for the course.

I am really enjoying the Children's Book of the Day Almanac. Sometimes, I get in a reading rut with my kids. This is a really great site.

Did anyone else see the previews for RISE. They were showing previews of this movie commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 US World Figuring Skating Team perishing in a plane crash on the way to Worlds'. It also documents the growth of the sport since 1961. It looks really fascinating and they are having a one day showing on Feb 17th. Unfortunately, there is no theatre near me that is showing it. This would be a good movie to go with your girlfriends and do the whole girl nite out thing.