Bossy McBossersson

Avery's newest obsession is Max and Ruby.

We've watched Max and Ruby's Halloween precisely one meeellion times now. And we'll probably be watching it all the way through Christmas, Valentines Day, and Easter.
'Cause that's how we do things around here.

I've gotta tell you, on a scale of 1-10, Max and Ruby is like a 8.5 on the annoying scale for me.
Not as annoying as Dragon Tales (because not many things in the universe are more annoying than Dragon Tales), but considerably more annoying than Diego.

Every time I am forced to watch Max and Ruby, I think,
"Poor Max.
Why can't Ruby just leave him alone?
Micro-Manage much, Ruby?"

Then something happened.
The other night, I came across this video from August.


It's looking like I may have a little Ruby on my hands.

It's funny how one 58 second video can have the power to change a simple children's cartoon into a stunning documentary on life with a three-year-old.

Fun Find Friday

It's not Friday, but whatever.
I'm always late. Always. I own it. I'm cool with it.
I'm embracing the lateness.
Lateness and I are tight.

Anywhooooo- This week's finds are:
The Mommy Hook

Because it's the biggest mamma jamma hook ever.
And because It fits perfectly on my stroller and I can hang a million things on it.
And because it's the biggest mamma jamma hook ever.
And because it just might make the world a little happier place - one Pack Mule Mommy at a time.
Because it's the biggest mamma jamma hook ever.

And then there's This wig:

Because it makes me laugh.

Happy Halloween Everybody!

those terrible three's

When did this little sweetness

turn into this?

There's something to be said for the rumors circulating about the terrible three's.

Don't believe me?

Ask the family of three and all of the employees of a certain sub shop that we visited for dinner last night.

Evidently, something as simple as asking a three-year-old to eat their sandwich meat can turn into World War III...Complete with weeping and gnashing of teeth, scraping of the tongue, and fake vomitting noises.

Lovely.

This is going to be a fun year.

why ask why?

Why is talking to yourself considered a bad thing, but humming to yourself considered totally normal?

Why can't someone give Michelle Duggar some new shoes?

Why are french fries so good? And why can't I stop eating them?

Why does watching "The Biggest Loser" make me want to stuff my face?

Will I ever get the guts to paint my armoire (a.k.a. Big Brown)?

Why won't my kid sleep in her own bed?

Why is Dora's t-shirt so tiny?

Why can't my floor stay clean?

Why do I feel compelled to buy this pink swiffer - despite the fact that I already have one?

Why won't people leave me the heck alone about P90X? Yeah, it's great. Yeah, it's awesome. Yada yada yada...blah blah blah.


Why does my Dave Ramsey Envelope money always run out before the end of the month? The last week of the month lasts forever....

sweet baby girl

I made this banner for my friend Ari who just gave birth to a precious little baby girl.

I found scrapbook paper at Michael's to match the colors of Ari's baby bedding.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but the banner says, "sweet girl".
Banners are really hard to photograph...especially when your camera is STINKY.

I made the circles with the Mini Monograms Cricut Cartridge.
The inner circles are 5 inches and the outer are 5 1/2 inches.

Making the circles the right size can be kind of tricky. I do a lot of pre-cutting with scrap paper to test sizes beforehand. As a result, it takes me for.ever. to do one.

While I was making this banner, I had an epiphany: a little bit of wisdom from the paper-crafting muses. It went something like this:

Um...Genius... It would save you a lot of time and paper if you would just make templates out of scrap paper beforehand and label them with the sizes. 

My muse is kind of a jerk.

Well, Paper Crafting Muse. That's novel idea, but one that requires forethought. And planning. And organization. Things I'm not so good at these days.
So, that's not going to happen.
Thanks, though.

How much longer can I use the "sleep deprivation" excuse for inability to function and lack of sanity? Any ideas?
 

our best laid plans

We had big plans this weekend: a little yard work, hanging out with friends and family, and a trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Events devoid of puking, barfing, or vomiting of any sort.

Life has a funny way of going exactly the opposite direction than you've planned sometimes.

Charlie started Puke Fest 2009 late Friday night and the party is still going strong.
Very strong.

The first time your kid pukes, there's this little part of you that hopes and prays that it was just a fluke.
You ignore it.
You pretend everything is totally normal.

Somewhere in the back of your mind you worry that it's something more serious, but admission of sickness is the most certain way to make sure that it sticks around. Saying, or even thinking the word, "virus" is the quickest way to quarantine yourself to "The Sicky House".

So you put a happy smile on and go about your day like it won't happen again.

But then it does.

All down your shirt.
And into your shoes.
While you're eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant.

Leaving you no choice but to quickly scoop up your kids and rush out of the restaurant before it happens again.

...and with the realization that certain feminine undergarments have the unbelievable ability to hold a lot of puke.

So - We didn't get any yard work done this weekend. We didn't hang out with family or friends. And poor Avery didn't get to make it to the real pumpkin patch on Saturday.

Instead, she and David headed to the little church pumpkin sale down the street while Charlie and I de-pukified ourselves.

Thankfully, she's three and her pumpkin patch frame of reference is limited. She didn't seem to mind at all that there was no playground, corn maize, hayride, or petting zoo at this pumpkin patch.

She excitedly brought home her 4 pumpkin picks and showed the "Mommy", "Daddy", "Charlie" and "Avery" pumpkins to Charlie and me.

Then she and Charlie watched while David and I scooped out the insides and carved happy faces on each one.

Sure, it's early.
Sure, Halloween is still 10 days away.
Sure, they're going to rot waaaay before then.

But Avery had fun.

And sweet little Charlie managed to keep a sweet little grin on his sweet little face between puke sessions.
Because that's just his way.

halloween banner

Here's a banner I made the other night at Craft Club.

I cut the pendant shape by hand.

The letters were cut with my Cricut using the Simply Sweet Cartridge.

I used the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge to cut the spiders.

This banner ended up hanging in Avery and Charlie's playroom. Halloween can be kind of scary when you're a three-year-old, so I tried to keep all of my Halloween decor light and silly for Avery's sake. I think it turned out more goofy than scary. Avery loved it.

almost wordless wednesday

Me: Hey, Avery. What'cha doin'?

Avery: Playing with my puppy.

Niiiice.

I swear she has a room full of toys.
Really.