Coke theif

I went the see The Other Boleyn Girl with my mom tonight. There's nothing like going to the movies. I love getting a big Diet Coke and popcorn! We were sitting in our seats just before the previews when I realized that some of my neighbors were sitting behind me. I turned around and was chatting away while sipping on my Coke, the previews started rolling so I faced forward again and set my drink down in the cup holder. To my complete horror, I realized that I'd been drinking from a cup that was not mine! I had no idea if the lady next to me knew or not. I didn't know what to do. Should I tell her and buy her a new drink or just wait to see if she noticed? I was nearly suffocating with embarrassment and trying not to laugh when she reached for her drink and took a sip. I decided to keep my mouth shut!
Note to strangers: Don't sit next to me at the movies.

60 question survey

I'm a sucker for these dang survey things. Thanks Lacey!

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now? Car seats and crayons as far as the eye can see. 2. When was the last time you threw up? December 9th after the marathon.
3. What's your favorite curse word? As though I would admit that here!
4. Name 3 people who made you smile today? All three kids.
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Reading blogs.
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Reading blogs – 8:00 was ten minutes ago!
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? All the kids will be at school and I will hopefully be at the library.
8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Other than as an employee?
9. What is the last thing you said aloud? “See ya later JP!” (I was talking to Jenna on the phone.)10. What is the best ice cream flavor? World Class Chocolate from Baskin Robins (still takes me back to Cabo San Lucas for my senior trip)
11. What was the last thing you had to drink? The milk from my cereal.
12. What are you wearing right now? Running clothes.
13. What was the last thing you ate? Grapenuts.
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No.
15. When was the last time you ran? Last week sometime but as soon as I finish this, I’ll be on the treadmill.
16. What's the last sporting event you watched? The Academy Awards. That’s the closest thing to sports that I’ll watch.
18. Who is the last person to send you an email? The Irish Lottery informed that I have won $5 million for the third time this week. Can you believe my luck?
19. Ever go camping? I’ll go camping, but I don’t love it. (Yea, Lacey, I remember the fateful canoe trip…)
20. Do you have a tan? I went tanning and got fried two days ago.
24. Do you drink your soda from a straw? Yes – nothing like a good fountain drink.
25. What did your last IM say? I don’t have IM.
26. Are you someone's best friend? Yes! I have lots of best friends.
27. What are you doing tomorrow? I’m holding my little sister Gracee hostage and taking her running with me! OUTSIDE!
28. Where is your mom right now? Doing her makeup and blow drying her hair.
29. Look to your left, what do you see? Outside a very dirty window, I see a stone retaining wall with skeletal plants thawing in the melting snow.
30. What color is your watch? Red. It's been out of batteries for years, I only wear it occasionally for looks.
31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ? Michael Johns from American Idol, Heath Ledger, Nicole Kidman.
32. Would you consider plastic surgery? Yes, I’ve been considering it for years, but don’t know if I could actually go through with it.
33. What is your birthstone? Ruby. When I was five, I was convinced that Dorothy from Wizard of Oz and I had the same birthday because of the ruby slippers.
34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive-thru
35. How many kids do you want? I originally started out wanting 6, then after having one I thought maybe I wanted only 4, then after having twins I decided that 3 is perfect.
36. Do you have a dog? No, but I look at puppies all the time online. I’m sure someday I’ll break down and buy one, but not any time soon.
37. Last person you talked to on the phone? Jenna.
38. Have you met anyone famous? My brother in-law is Brian Wimmer! He’s in Lifetime movies. I’ve also met John Travolta and Michael Hutchence.
39. Any plans today? Running, kids to school, library and then see The Other Boylen Girl with my mom tonight.
40. How many states have you lived in? Uno!
41. Ever go to college? About three weeks of chemistry at the community college.
42. Where are you right now? At the kitchen table.
43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Eric working from home. We’re still figuring that out.
44. Last song listened to? Beastie Boys - Sabotage. Eric’s been singing it at the top of his lungs all morning.
46. Are you allergic to anything? Cats. And I tell people horses, but really I’m just scared of those. I’m a little scared of cats too – they’re just creepy!
47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? Uggs. They’re so ugly, but oh so cozy!
48. Are you jealous of anyone? Occasionally.
50. Is anyone jealous of you? I highly doubt it.
51. What time is it? 8:30 am
52. Do any of your friends have children? Most of them have kids now. And they can’t say I didn’t warn them!
53. Do you eat healthy? No.
54. What do you usually do during the day? Wipe noses, make food, clean up, wipe bums, make more food, clean up, wipe more noses, make more food, clean up – fascinating huh?
55. Do you hate anyone right now? I would like to think I’m above that, but I can still come up with a couple of people who seem to just be bad people that I have nothing good to say about.
56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily? When I answer the phone.
58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 29 – yeah Peen, you too! We're closing in on 30. (She always likes to point out that she's a WHOLE DAY YOUNGER than me.)
59. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes, when I was a kid. I was so scared to go that I got diarrhea and then threw up after Montezuma’s Revenge rollercoaster.
60. How did you get one of your scars? I have a big scar on my foot from falling the street in front of my house during a mudslide last summer. That night still feels like a dream.

idol

The best Paula-ism of the night:
"I wanted to squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rearview mirror."
As I've mentioned, I'm new to American Idol, but any show that can get away with saying that on live tv has my vote!

Nonsence from my going crazy mind

This weather has got to go. I'm ready to poke my eyes out with a stick. I feel like I'm turning into Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I don't think I ever understood that movie until now. Being snowed in with just his kid and wife made him go nutso! That's how I'm feeling! I almost want my house to be haunted just to make the days more interesting.
Redrum! My apologies to anyone who hasn't seen the freaky movie - disregard this post.

Preschool conversation

Remember when I told you about my hate of wearing tennis shoes with normal clothes? This hatred runs so deep that when we were at Disneyland Eric made me wear them and it nearly ruined my day. Every time he took a picture I had to make sure that my feet weren't in the shot and the ones that did have my feet I had to crop down before having them printed. Really this is an irrational peeve of mine. Knowing this info, listen to what Duncan (Cameron's preschool boyfriend) said to me today. We were sitting at a table at school doing an art project.
Duncan: "I saw you yesterday in your tennis shoes."
My face went red just remembering picking up Cameron from his house yesterday wearing my gym clothes. Seriously, he might as well have said he'd seen me in my underwear!
Duncan: "But you're not wearing them today. You're wearing your Uggs."
What do you make of that? Why does he remember my shoes? Why do I care what I 5 year-old thinks of my footwear? At first, I started wondering who put him up to saying it and realized that he doesn't know anyone that I know other than Cameron and she certainly doesn't care what I wear on my feet. Weird huh?

******
Yesterday after picking Cameron up from Duncan's house I started grilling her about school.
Me: "What did you do at school today?"
Cam: "We learned about Lincoln and Washington."
Me: "What about them? What things did they do?"
Cam: "Well, they didn't come to our class or anything Mom."
(Oh pardon me, I thought they may have made an appearance or something.)
Me: "Yea, Cam, they're both dead so I figured they weren't there."
Cam: "How did they die?"
Me: "I don't know about Washington, but Lincoln was shot."
Cam: "Was it just an accident or was it a bad guy?"
Me: "A very bad guy."
Cam: "What was his name? Is he still alive?"
Me: "John Wilkes Booth and no, he's been dead for a long time."
Cam: "How did he die? Did he get shooted too?"
Me: "So, let's talk about the log cabin you made for Honest Abe."
Cam: "Who's Honest Abe?"
Once again, preschool is money well spent.

idol

I'm new to the whole American Idol thing so help me out. Does Paula have a drinking problem?

Strong???

Here's the situation: Eric comes out of his office to find the room covered in plastic and me with a roller in my hand, painting the ceiling. My back, neck and arms were all about to fall off, so I handed the roller to Eric telling him that a big, strong man could do the work much easier than wimpy old me.
Laurie: "Wow honey, you can paint! I should take a picture for proof!"
Eric: "I paint. I painted a whole barn on my mission."
Laurie: "Really? You're counting something you did 20 years ago?"
I am a painting freak. I probably paint a new room every month or so. No exaggeration. Through our marriage I've come to realize that painting is my illness and not to put the tasks upon my husband. Really this was the first time he's picked up a paint brush in the entire time I've known him. Might seem trivial to you, but believe me, it is worth documenting.

After handing off the painting to Eric I realized that I was supposed to meet Kayley at the gym for a weight lifting class called Strong. That title alone should have been a clue. But I raced to scrub all the paint off my hands. Arms. Face. Hair. I was about to start on my legs, but decided it would just be easier to wear yoga pants. I went to pick up the kids from various friends' houses and arrived at the gym 10 minutes later than planned. I jumped on the stair climber for the pre-class cardio and only got 20 minutes in before it was time for the class. No worries though, I was already sweating profusely.
Let me preface this by saying that I hate exercise classes. I feel like everyone is staring at me and rolling their eyes at how weak I am. Logic tells me they're all really just worried about their own reflections, but it doesn't stop me from becoming self conscious to the point of nervous giggling. Things were going along smoothly enough and I had a great view of a white, lacy thong some really strong lady in front of me was wearing. (Honestly? A thong to do lunges? WHY?) We laid down on our mats and started to lift the barbell over our chests, I think it was supposed to work out our pecks but I could be wrong. My arms were shaking so badly I was scared that I might drop the barbell on the thong lady's face. It was all the painting, or at least I'm telling myself that's what it was. I had to lay the bar down on my chest and try to compose myself. I thought I was going to hyperventilate trying not to laugh out of total humiliation. Then she made us get in position for push-ups.
I can't do a push-up to save my life. Even as a kid. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Last summer, at our neighborhood barbeque, all the girls were trying to teach me how. The guys thought it was really funny so they tried to step in and show me. Nope. Not a single one. When I get in the 'correct position' my pelvis sinks like an anchor. I'm chalking it up to being so tall. Anyway, right as I get down to my 'faking it' pose and feel my face turn crimson, imagine my delight to see a gym employee come into the room carrying a sign with my name on it!!! Hurray, one of my kids has caused enough trouble in the daycare that they need me! Oh blessed potty accidents! I'll spare you the details of the potty emergency. Please note that at this point, my kids had helped me out of two workouts.
We got home from the gym, I made the kids some dinner and turned on my Winsor Pilates dvd. I figured that the least I could do was that. I laid down on the floor and within 26 seconds, all three kids were on the floor with me, doing scissors with their legs. I really wish I had a picture of that! I got about 10 minutes into the video before Luke and Adam had a couple of paint stirrers and were using them to play the drums on my back and Cameron was in my way and insisted that her workout was more important than mine. So I gave up.
After all these failed attempts at working out
why is it that every muscle in my body aches?

loving the scruva driver

What is a scruva driver? Well it really depends when you ask. Most of the time a scruva driver is the mean dentist who captures Nemo and takes him away on his butt (boat). If you haven't seen Finding Nemo lately, you might not understand. Scruva driving requires an oxygen tank, face mask and a wetsuit.

But tonight I got to use my new scruva driver for the first time to put together Adam's new dresser. That's right - I got a drill for Valentine's Day!! (thanks Dad!) I haven't been so excited about a new toy since my iPod. And no, this is not Eric's drill. MY dad gave it to ME.

I heard this song the other day (Redneck Woman) and got very nervous that I was creeping dangerously close to becoming a redneck myself. It is after Valentine's and my Christmas lights were still up! After many, many friendly reminders to Eric, almost all of the lights are down tonight. Hurray!

While we're talking about rednecks - you really need to check out this blog post that my sister wrote the other day. It really is a riot! And yes, I have tuned in to watch the Big Fat Redneck Wedding. Yee-haw! Here you go - courtesy of Lacey:

Long Live Reality TV!
Television has come a long way since the first season of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." And with the ongoing writers strike, networks are sinking to all-new reality lows in an effort to fill airtime. I am well aware that Scott Baio is expecting a baby, Snoop Dogg is a father, and all the celebrities are in rehab. But is it really worth 30 minutes of tv time? I'm as much a reality t.v. fan as the next gal, but some of these new shows are just unbelieveable!One such show I recently saw advertised is called "The Baby Borrowers." It will follow several teenage couples as they are given a home, full-time jobs, and small children to care for. Seriously. My question is: who are the idiot parents who lend their children to these teenagers? (Insert Britney Spears joke here.)Another reality show gem is "The Millionaire Matchmaker." A Beverly-Hills professional matchmaker pairs wealthy men with the gold-digging women of their dreams. Hmmm. I see no problems with an arrangement like this and I'm sure all these couples will live happily ever after."Farmer Wants a Wife" is basically like "The Bachelor," only on a farm, with a real live farmer up for grabs. Challenges include milking a cow, birthing a pig, and driving a tractor. Really? Isn't it bad enough that you are competing against a dozen other women for the attention of one guy, but to have to muck manure in a horse stall too?And then there is the big-daddy of them all. The reality show that is the driving force behind this reality t.v. post. I actually watched this one tonight on CMT and it was like a train wreck that I just couldn't turn away from. It's called--get this!--"My Big Fat Redneck Wedding." No joke! And lest you think that a show like that would be boring and not worth watching, let me fill you in on a few of the details and then you can judge for yourself. First of all, the show is hosted by Tom Arnold. When I tuned in, the groom was getting a tattoo of his future bride on his rear-end. Classy! Then, for the bachelor party, the entire weddin' (yes, they call it a "weddin'") party went wild boar hunting, then back to the farm for mattress surfing. (For those of you non-rednecks out there, mattress surfing is when you tie a mattress behind an ATV and pull it around the farm while someone tries to stand on it and surf. "It's just like being at the beach!" said one wedding guest. Enough said.) The next day, the bride and groom dressed up in their fancy weddin' attire--camoflauge jumpsuits--and the bride rode in on a John Deere tractor. They were quickly married by the ex-convict minister who was ordained in the state prison (because he "had a lot of time on his hands"), and everyone enjoyed the reception at the local driving range. Reception food included pigs in a blanket, pork rinds, deer meat kabobs, pickled pig feet, and lots and lots and lots of beer. The episode ended with the gift exchange, where the groom gave his new bride a pink rifle and told her she could use it to go squirrel or rabbit huntin' on their honeymoon. How romantic! I'm telling you, CMT has struck reality television gold with this show!In my reality t.v. research, I found that the smaller the network, the crazier the reality show. And there are some real doozies out there! Let's all just pray that the writers strike will end soon so we can go back to watching "The Office" and "30 Rock" like civilized human beings.

Good conversation

Eric: "Adam, why are you crying?"

Adam: "Mom hit me!"

Eric: "Mom hit you? Why?"

Adam: "I drew her a picture and she didn't like it."

Actual events: Adam got spanked for wetting his pants for the 75th time that day.

Sweet dreams little babes

One of my favorite things about my boys being twins is watching them sleep together. They honestly do sleep better snuggled up together. They are like puppies. Even in that first ultrasound when we found out we were having twins. They lay all tangled up and sometimes there's a foot in the face, but they don't seem to mind.

And some things never change. This was last night. They got bunk beds for Christmas and still insist on sleeping together on the top bunk. I love it.

Hell froze over

Boy, do I have egg on my face. So much for the forty degree heat wave. I am a Utahan through and through but I have never seen a storm like the one last night. I'm sure lots of you heard about the stranded school bus. That would be Cameron's school bus. Her school gets out at 3:30 and she's usually home by 3:48. She walked in the door last night at 11:42.
It goes without saying that it was a very stressful afternoon/evening/night. The blizzard hit really hard around 3:30, with almost zero visibility. We got an automated call from the school saying that the bus would return to the school and the kids should be picked up there. But one smart little girl had a cell phone and called and told her mom that they were not at the school, but stuck on the side of the road. The bus driver knew that they were on the highway but didn't know where.
Around 5:00 a few of the men in the neighborhood left in their SUVs to try and make it to the stranded bus. They reached the bus at about 7:30. Eric said it looked like a war zone. There were abandoned cars blocking the traffic making it impossible for the snow plows to get through. The snow drifts were as high as four feet in the middle of the road. When they got to the bus they knocked on the door and the driver opened it. The poor bus driver was a substitute and was only about 20 years old. There were no lights on the bus, but it was warm.
The kids all came to the front of the bus and wanted to go with Eric and Brad but they could only take their own kids. Some of the kids were scared but most were doing just fine.
The highway was closed so they couldn't get back home so they went to the school. The school had food and movies and other activities for the kids to do. They waited there for an hour or so then got a few more neighbor kids and headed out to McDonald's. The roads weren't really bad in American Fork so they made it to McDonald's.
At 10:30 they decided to take their chances on the back roads to try and get home. By this time Eric and Brad had 6 kids with them. All the roads were closed and everyone was trying to get to church shelters. I'm not sure how they did it, but they did get all the kids home safely before midnight. It really was a miracle.
I don't think I've ever been as stressed out as I was last night. I felt completely helpless. I couldn't get to my daughter and I didn't know if she was scared, hungry, sad or (almost the worst possibility) if she'd wet her pants! She didn't wet her pants and was appalled to find out that I'd been worried about it. I'm glad that everyone is safe and sound today. The most shocking is to see the sunshine and blue sky. It almost feels like a slap in the face for it to be such a gorgeous day after the night from hell. I guess all's well that ends well.

I feel that ice is slowly melting

Late yesterday afternoon I heard the wonderful sound of heavy plastic scraping the pavement outside. During the summer months the sound of the kids' Power Wheels Jeeps is loud and can get on my nerves, but in February it is the sound of HOPE! I ran outside to see if the neighbor kids were out ruling the streets once again in their little Barbie Jeeps and John Deer tractors. There were kids, but no mini vehicles. They were dragging snow shovels behind them as they ran towards my house. My boys were ready to get out the Slip'n'Slide. They didn't, but it was so much fun to have the front door open and the kids running around outside. Here are a few photos I snapped. And please, pay no mind to the Christmas lights still hanging from the house.

Tagged - AGAIN!

Sorry Nat that I'm just getting around to doing this. I have some serious writers' block so maybe this will get the creative juices flowing.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago.... I was one year out of high school, working at my dad's company as an executive assistant (code title for gopher for Crazy Lady). I had just sent a boyfriend on a mission and had two other guys I was kinda dating. Little did I know that a new guy was about to come into my life when I got a flat tire and called my sister for help... That's right - I met Eric 10 years ago next month! I can't believe how time flies.

5 things on my list of things to do today..... Take a couple of car seats to my sister Lyndsey (yes, check out how cute her babes are on her blog), organize my closet, read with Cameron, update my blog and put those dang kids in bed. Not a busy day for me. I'm very bored and my kids are making me crazy today.

Snacks I enjoy..... Really the question should be 'what snacks don't I enjoy' because I like them all. I just don't like fruity, chewy stuff. Sugar Babies and Diet Coke are my staples. Cookie dough, Milk Duds, popcorn, Junior Mints, salt and vinegar potato chips - really if it's bad for your body, I love it!

If I were suddenly a billionaire..... I would figure out a way for Utah to skip winter. We'd still have spring, summer and fall - just no winter. What? There are some things money can't buy? Then who needs it! Seriously though, I've done a LOT of thinking about money lately and in my very limited life experience I haven't seen much good come to people who come into money. Not that I'd turn it down, I just don't think my life would be any better off with money. Not the answer you were looking for? Okay, I'd buy a yacht and take you all on a six month cruise around the world while we all wear fancy evening gowns and fat diamond rings while Mary Poppins watches the kiddos. ;)

5 bad habits.... not getting to the gym as much as needed, inability to stick to a budget, spend way too much time on the computer doing nothing, I am sarcastic to a fault (I'm trying to change, please be patient), bedtime snacking (popcorn every night).

5 jobs I've had..... Executive Assistant (code title for gopher for Crazy Lady), cashier at SuperSonic car wash, sales associate at Dillards for a week (by far the worst job ever), HR/Accounting for an engineering firm (loved it), and babysitter. I was the BEST babysitter ever. You can still ask anyone in my neighborhood growing up and they'll tell you.

5 things people don't know about me..... Since starting blogging I feel like there is nothing people don't know about me. There are a few pretty major things that I don't discuss here and those few things will remain my secrets..... (insert evil laugh) But I guess I can still come up with a couple insanely boring details.
1- Every time I brush my hair I think about that episode of Little House on the Prairie when Mary goes blind. Remember she was brushing her hair and dropped the brush and screamed for Pa? In my 5 year-old mind I think I thought it was brushing the hair that caused blindness.
2- I only wear tennis shoes if I'm going running. I hate how they look with normal clothes. This is always an issue for Eric. He can't seem to understand my need to be as uncomfortable as humanly possible. Only in the last two years have I started wearing flip-flops. High heeled sandals are always preferable.
3- I managed to be enrolled as a student at three colleges and yet never attended any classes. For some crazy reason I thought I was stupid when I was in high school. I was SHOCKED when I scored 26 on my ACT. It was higher than any of my friends who attended those ACT prep courses. But I was still stupid enough to not go to college. Go figure.
4- I still have my 'badie' and 'Baby Not-Nose' (baby blanket and baby doll from when I was an infant). They are in a basket in the top of my closet, ironically visible when I lay on my pillow.
5- I'm not a packrat. I throw everything away. Everything. Another issue hard for Eric to understand. He bans me from his office when I get in one of my cleaning modes.

That's it! One thing I have learned about myself is that I'm self-obsessed. Even when I don't have anything to say I can still go on and on and on about ME! I'm not going to bother tagging anyone in particular. If you also have writers' block - give this a try!

new clothes, old friends, bad jeans and grandpa

You know how as time progresses we all turn into our mothers? For me that wouldn't be so bad. But today I had visions of myself turning into my grandpa! I was meeting some friends for lunch this afternoon and when Kelley arrived I immediately apologized because I was wearing bottom tier jeans. (You know those jeans that you only wear because your favorite three pairs haven't seen the washer in over a week.) I have unconsciously started ranking my clothes in tiers apparently. My grandpa always did that. His #4's were jammies, #3's were sweat pants with a matching zip-up sweatshirt, #2's were slacks and a golf shirt and #1's were strictly for weddings and funerals. Believe me, those jeans were only about a half notch above #4's.

Anyway, we had a really fun lunch. Chelsa and Kelley are friends from high school and we haven't hung out since then so there was a LOT of catching up to do. Both of them are gorgeous moms and so much fun to be with! We'll be doing that again very soon.

After lunch I decided it was time to invest in some new #2's and headed for the mall. I felt quite sure that my debit card wasn't going to work after the first purchase because of the 'unusual activity' of shopping at an actual mall. But it worked and now I have some cute new clothes! Hurray!

Last night I got to go to dinner with Julie, Kelly, Colleen and Cynthia. (What a rough life for me huh? All I do is eat out with friends....right!) We went to Zupas and ended up sitting there talking for three hours! It was like old times. Julie in her shower cap.....just kidding Jewels. I feel so lucky to have so many good girlfriends. This parenting/wifing thing isn't always peachy keen and it's nice to know other exceptional ladies who are all in this boat together.

Bad American

Let me preface this post by saying that I am completely ignorant when it comes to politics. When election coverage comes on the news my eyes glaze over and my mind wanders to the important questions like, does Hillary's hair ever move or does it stay like that even when she sleeps? Do you think she sleeps? Or, wow, Obama is really skinny - his suit is hanging on for dear life. You get the picture.
I have had a slightly heightened awareness with Mitt Romney running simply because he is, of course a Mormon and he's friends with my father in-law. However, I can't help being relieved that Mitt won't be president. America has a way of turning on the president no matter how much they liked him in the beginning. Our Mormon faith would always be under attack instead of respected.
It has been joked about that this election is like a punchline for a joke - 'there was a black man, a Mormon and a woman running for president...' This is about as far as my knowledge of politics goes. But I am proud of us Americans. Think how far we've come in the last 100 years that people who had almost no voting rights are now running for president! It really is amazing to me.
Again, claiming ignorance, (my uncle Mike is probably seething about my lack of knowlegde) I can't imagine anyone wanting to be the president. In my limited view it doesn't seem to matter who sits in the oval office because our government is set up so that all voices are heard. We even seem to shift as a nation from democratic to republican presidents fixing what the previous president did - there seems to be a balance there. The president is just the fall guy. I like Obama. I like his books. I like him so well that I almost want Hillary to win so that we can all go on liking Obama.
My blogging about politics is like the blind leading the less blind - but I had to put in my two cents.

Cabin Fever

So how are all of you in the outside world? I am a prisioner in my own home, ticking off the days till spring. Cameron was sick today. I should have knocked on wood when I bragged to my sister that my kids had made it through the winter months without serious illness. Cam has been lazing around the house moaning and carrying her barf bucket as she ventures from room to room. By 3:00 this afternoon she wanted to watch me play spider solitare on the computer - how's that for some serious boredom?
I've played probably 712 games of spider solitare (to please the sickie, of course) and tried to finish the blasted Historian book. I should have guessed by the title that it would be an 800 page history lesson, but I still feel compelled to finish. Hopefully tonight.

I finally found my iPod clip for running. In the refridgerator! (I'm sure you'll all sleep well tonight knowing that it has been found.) Seriously, in the fridge just chillin' with the yogurt.

Yes, I know I'm rambling, but I'M BORED OUT OF MY FREAKING MIND! Here are some cute pictures I've taken in the past week or so.

I think I may have found a new cleaning lady.

She's cheap too - only $1 to do the whole main floor!

This is my toothpaste colored bathroom that I love.

It's actully the kids' bathroom. I'm a 'color' junkie.

Apparently Eric and I weren't the only ones who felt a little sassy riding around in the new car.

Gotta love that face Adam is pulling.

Livin' the dream

Have you ever had one of those days when you feel like you're living in a dream? Today was one of those days. It started out like every other day of my life. More snow. Wish it was July. Cabin fever. I decided it was much riskier to stay indoors than to brave the snow and get out for the day. So I went with friends, Kelly and Colleen, to the Kids Barn to let the kids get some wiggles out and let the moms have adult interaction. (The Kids Barn is a place with inflatable slides and jump houses.)

After pizza and 312 trips to the potty we headed for home. But I wasn't ready to call it a day. If I have to spend one more day in my house with all five of us I'm going to have to be insitutionalized (again)! So we hooked up with more friends, Jenna and Kayley, and went swimming. I'm very brave, I know. I didn't swim though.

We came home. I made dinner. We ate. The kids ran for the basement after dinner because they've learned that if they are out of sight, they are out of my mind for bedtime. So Eric and I started watching Jaws. Eric decided to tell me something important.

Eric: "Have I ever told you that I know how I'm going to die?"

Me: "Really. That must be nice to know in advance."
Eric: "I'm serious."

Me: "Uh huh."

Eric: "I'm going to die in a shark attack."

Me: "Good to know."

Eric: "I'm serious, Laurie."

Me: "I'm sure you are."

I guess that should be good news seeing that we live on the side of a mountian in a desert. Though we should probably be wary of the very scary Land Shark from SNL.

I must be still dreaming. Cameron and Eric are decorating the house for the big birthday party tomorrow. Star, Adam's Webkins dog, is having a birthday tomorrow. They're planning his birthday breakfast and what they are going to do to celebrate. Cameron wants to buy him a 'just medium size' cage for his present. Maybe I'm lacking imagination but I can't understand cooking for something that doesn't eat and caging an animal that can't move. Perhaps we should buy a bigger cage and the kids could get in with him.....I wonder if they sell locks too?