Tag: motherhood

Gambling with Appliances

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About 6 months ago, our dryer started beeping. Like all the time. Whenever it’s running, it’s beeping. And they dial never turns to the right setting unless you really shove it in – and even then you have to quickly push start with your other hand to get it to a delicate setting that won’t nuke they clothes.

I finally broke down and called Sears appliance repair. The guy on the phone was actually very through and very nice. He explained that they sell a 1 year warranty that will cover all the parts and labor and that includes whatever is currently wrong with it. The cost? $145. The visit itself was $129…so there was a chance that I just needed a new knob that costs $10 and I would get out for $140 bucks total. Oooorr I could buy the warranty and if there was some astronomically expensive part, it would be covered….decisions decisions. I felt like I was at the blackjack table trying to decide if I was going to hit on 12 when the dealer was showing 13.

Not being a gambler – or I should say a good gambler – I did not buy the warranty. And you know what? I was wrong. Dead, stinking, ridiculously wrong. I hit and got a Queen and the dealer got an 8.

Within literally 2 minutes of being in my laundry room, the man had an estimate of $450. Four HUNDRED and fifty dollars. One f word crossed my mind and it was not fifty.

Despite the repair man being very nice, he did look a little smug when he realized I had busted on my bet. So I took my chips and went home – or more accurately said No Gracias and decided I’ll keep my beeping drying until it croaks (hey, it’s made it 6 months!) and put that chunk o change towards a new dryer.

Who knows, maybe Baylor and I will form a band with the dryer as our beat box…

 

 

Fall Crafting

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I always find this time of year that there is a little more quiet time in the afternoon. Too late in the day to go do somthing…but not quite time for dinner. This is the perfect time for a little craft project. Like these little pumpkins.

I hate things that are too messy, too difficult or take too much time. I like something quick and simple that the kiddo and I can do in 20 minute time frame. If you’re like me, then you’ll love my post on Scottsdale Moms Blog this week: http://www.scottsdalemomsblog.com/.

This week I featured three crafts; two are simple and fun to do with even small kiddos and the third is all for the moms, but the kids get the benefit! Check it out and let me know what you think. Happy crafting!

Fall Has…

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Fallen? I guess if Spring has Sprung, that makes sense.

Anyway, it’s finally cooled down a little and we’ve been so happy to have all the doors and windows open all the time. This also means we’ve been playing outside as much as possible. We broke out the water table and toys, the sidewalk chalk and the paint brushes. Yes, I said paint brushes.

We discovered at the Children’s Museum one of the simplest and most fun activities – painting with water. Yes, you read that right. We get out the paint brushes, rolers and sponges, get a bucket of water and head out to the patio to get our paint on:

No clean up. No mess.

Also another all time favorite, the  sidewalk chalk. And PW showed Bay how to make a hop scotch pattern and jump around:

 

I love this…

So if you’re looking for us, we’ve gone chalkin’. Be back soon.

Picnik Your Pics

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A founder and contributor of Scottsdale Moms Blog just turned me onto a site called Picnik. They suggested I check it out and use it for my upcoming Halloween Craft post.

I looked into it and it is awesome. You can upload your pictures and then make them into collages of all sizes and layouts. It has picture editing capabilities too. The best part is that it’s crazy easy to use. I was on the phone when I clicked on the site and without actually reading or doing any trial and error, I snapped off a good 4 collages.

It is a free service (yea!) but  with purchase (it advertises it’s about $2 a month) it allows you to upload more pictures at once and offers more option on editing and also creating the collages.

Here’s one I did of Ms.B:

So get on Picnik and see what you can create with your pictures. Happy collaging!

Dear Weatherman

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Dear Weatherman,

STOP IT. Stop telling me that there is a “cool down” on the way. Stop telling me that there’s “a chance for showers”. Stop saying that “we’ve seen the last of the triple digits!”. Stop saying it because you know they are all lies. Vicious, filthy lies. Every time there is a blessed 80 on the seven-day forecast, it keeps moving. It starts out on Thursday. And the next day it’s not coming until Friday. And on Friday, it’s coming on Monday. And suddenly it’s 105 again and the “cool down is coming!”. I can’t take it anymore!

So until you’re ready to come clean and be honest about the fact that even thought it’s October, it’s still 102 and that’s just the way it is, then I think we need some time apart.

Best,

Beth

Homemade Applesauce

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This recipe is so simple and so good. It’s easy to make quickly or ahead of time.

Ingredients: 4 apples – I like Honey Crisp. They are sweet, but have a little tangy-ness Cinnamon (0ptional) No seriously, that’s it. Chop apples into small 1/2 inch chunks. Steam for approximately 8-10 minutes or until fork tender. Reserve the liquid from steaming and use to smooth out mixture while blending. Add in a little cinnamon for flavor. Start with a quarter teaspoon and add more after tasting. That’s it! This is so simple and yet so good. It’s delicious as a side dish or served warm for dessert. If you want to get fancy, reserve some of the steamed apples and mix in with the blended for a chunkier version. You could also bake in a ramekin with a piece of puff pastry on top for a quick and easy version of apple pie. Enjoy!

Baylor-isms

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The munchkin has had another big language burst since starting preschool. I am constantly marveling at what she says and how much it changes and grows every day. She is constantly learning new words and putting together long sentences – it’s amazing to be able to communicate with her at this level!

Even though she’s learning so much, she doesn’t always have quite the right pronunciation. Which has made for a long list of hilarious “Baylor-isms”. Some of my favorites:

“Peter Butter Cups” – Yes, she’s talking about Reese’s Peanut butter Cups! She has learned that daddy’s name is Peter and apparently she also thinks he makes the awesome stuff that goes inside those addictive little cups.

“Shib” – Not the thing that prisoners stab each other with – rather this is her crib. It’s a word I hear often as there is usually an animal stuck her shib.

“Seeecreeetts” – this one she actually says correctly, but she doesn’t really get it. She will tell me she has a secret and then whisper the word “seeecreeettss” in my ear.

“Mine birthday is June 2nd” – I just love this one. She got in the car one day and I could literally see her working on forming the words before she finally announced her birth date perfectly! The look of pride on her face was priceless.

“Mustang Salad” – My mom’s first car, a 67 Mustang convertible, lives with us. She’s beautiful and we call her Cecilia. Every day we walk between the Mustang and our car in the garage and I usually sing the Wilson Pickett song Mustang Sally to Baylor. About a month ago and out of the blue, she started singing the song. Except when she says Sally, it comes out Salad.

“All the time” – it comes out, more like “All da time”. This is her catch phrase – almost everything is done all da time.  I will ask “Did you go to the playground today?” and the response will be “Yes mommy, all da time!”.

“Bethers” – Again, this one she says perfectly. Bethers is a nickname from college that Peter usually uses when he’s looking for me. So it’s always shouted across the house. One night while PW was giving Baylor her bath, she shouted “BETHERS!! ALL DONE!!” which meant she was ready for me to come put on her jammies.

I can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Although I did say that a car driving by us today was “ghetto” and she promptly pointed at the car and repeated “ghetto” perfectly. I’m sure there will be a note coming home from school soon noting that ghetto is not an appropriate word to use at school…unless of course something actually was ghetto.

 

Sick Saturday

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PW and I spent Friday night out with my best friend Beth (no, not talking in third person) and her husband Grant at the St. Mary’s football game. It was a blast to be back at our alma mater and especially fun since it’s where PW and I met. It was made even better because the Knights won!

Bay was fast asleep when we got home. About an hour after we went to bed I heard “Mommy. Tummy. Hurt.” on the monitor. I let it go for a bit because I thought maybe she had just woken up and was looking for a reason for us to come in her room. I finally went in and discovered her tummy did hurt. It had hurt all over her crib and down the side on to the carpet. The poor thing started crying when I walked in obviously sick, embarrassed and well, grossed out. It’s amazing how the ick factor diminishes when your kiddo is hurting. Suddenly it doesn’t matter that it’s 1am or that you’re cleaning up a very gross situation, it just matters that she feels better.

Saturday morning we decided to hunker down and just rest. No errands, no nothing. Just pedialyte and cartoons. Around 11, Peter decided to test out Baylor’s wellness by taking her on a quick, don’t-get-out-of-the-car errand. In my car. It was a failed mission. If you saw a man trying to clean a munchkin off on the side of the road on Saturday, it was them. It was solidified that a quarantine and lock down was necessary.

We spent the rest of the day watching football, movies, doing some crafts and a lot of napping. It was after I woke up from a ridiculously long nap that I realized how much we all needed a down day. We needed to stay in our jammies all day. Take a long nap. Sit around and do nothing. Make frozen pizza and not worry about having veggies on the side. It something we need to schedule more often so that we can enjoy doing nothing and not worry about what we’re not doing.

On a side note, Baylor is feeling much better and as of Sunday evening, neither Peter or I are sick. Fingers crossed!!

Where’s the Tome? – 6th Edition

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Sadly, this post does not have a picture. When you read the story, you’ll understand why.

This week Tome was in the water table, the bench outside, the bench inside and lastly Baylor’s crib. And not just in her crib, but sleeping on his own pillow with his own blanket next to her. As I was tucking her in for the fourth time, she reached over and grabbed Tome to snuggle – only to remark “oh my Tome” when his pointy hat caught her in the cheek. But being her parent’s daughter, she wasn’t willing to admit she was wrong in putting Tome in her bed so she tucked him and fell asleep.

There was a perfect picture opportunity of an angelic Baylor sleeping peacefully with smiling Tome under her arm. But I’m not insane (yet) so I didn’t risk the flash or click of the camera waking her up so for this edition…so just use your imagination this week!