Because my life is fascinating

Wordful Wednesday: Hurray for the iPhone

2012-01-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

Where was I a year ago? I like asking that question from time to time. It connects me to the past and it measures the change thats taken place in my life. 2011 held so many changes for me. I cannot even believe how much was packed into that year. But this post isn't about that, really. It's mostly a post to make up for the lack of photos prepared for Wordful Wednesday. That's the true story,

Wordful Wednesday: Freezing Time

2012-01-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

If I could freeze time I would forever preserve Chaucer's current stage of toddlerhood. I love it. Every day is a joy with him. Matt and I find ourselves looking at him in awe of his cuteness. It crept up on us. I mean, he has always been adorable, don't get me wrong. But as his speech develops we can see this incredible little personality emerge. Here are my top ten favorite things about

Wordful Wednesday: Baby Bug

2012-01-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

I'm really behind in posting Christmas pictures. That's mostly cause I checked out over break--and also got so overwhelmed with all the choices of what to post. Too many good things. But today, I decided I'm just gonna give you my favorite part of our three week break. There will always be time to post other stuff. And maybe I just won't ever get around to it. Maybe those three weeks will always

The Best of 2011

2012-01-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! And, on a more important note, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLING! It's my husband's birthday today :) Isn't that a cool birthday to have? Everyone always says so. Actually, it's sometimes a little lousy since everyone is broke by New Years, so I have to confess that I haven't bought him a birthday present in years. Fortunately, for me, he's about as chill as they come so he is never

Brag Letters

2011-12-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is over and New Year's is around the corner. That means we all have a tad bit more time left to shoot out those late Christmas cards. Aunt Gloria, I totally had yours addressed, stamped, and everything--it just DID NOT get in the mail :/ It's coming though. It is. Because I still have roughly a week to get it out. Does ettiquete allow for "New Years" cards to trickle in

Wordful Wednesday: Our Christmas Photos

2011-12-20T23:33:00.000-08:00

I've already confessed that I label my children, so hopefully this isn't a huge shocker to those lucky people that receive our Christmas cards. (For the record, I apologize if you didn't get one and want one. I really would like to receive requests for Christmas cards. It would boost my self-esteem and be totally worth the extra postage). Anyways, I love our Christmas pictures for this year. We

A Different Look At The Nativity

2011-12-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered about the swaddling clothes that Mary used to wrap baby Jesus? I wonder where she got them--did her mom give them to her? Were they used by other babies and then passed down to Mary? Did she choose the fabric and make them herself in typical nesting fashion? A new baby always requires a multitude of blankets. Babies need to be kept warm. They need to feel snug and secure.

Wordful Wednesday: The Most Wonderful Photo Of The Year

2011-12-14T00:08:00.000-08:00

I don't know why we do it. Why we have no problem handing our children over to a strange man in a costume every year at Christmas. Little wonder that they never "cooperate" for the photo. But we kinda like that too, don't we? I did. We went to a Christmas party for our apartment community and they had a Santa there. He was an awesome Santa--I could totally believe he's the real one. But that

Wordful Wednesday: What It Is To Build A Leaf Pile

2011-12-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

When we came home from our Thanksgiving break Coco was delighted to find that Autumn had really done it's job in our neighborhood. And the maintenance guys had not. Leaves were everywhere--covering the playground, the sidewalk, and our doorsteps. So I figured it was time I teach Coco what it is to build a leaf pile. Some of our methods were unconventional. We don't own a rake--but we

Fascinating Friday: Our Free Christmas Tree...Or Branch.

2011-12-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

So...we don't have a whole lot of room in our apartment. And we don't have a lot of money. We decided to think outside of the box this year for our Christmas tree. Coco and I went outside and scavenged around for a branch. We found a nice, scraggly one and plucked all of the leaves off. We had a fun little family decorating party. Christmas music, cookies, the works. I let the kids play

Would You Rather Wednesday: Presents or Presence?

2011-11-30T00:11:00.000-08:00

Ready for some philosophizing? Shh. Don't tell my husband I used that term--his heart rate might escalate. Well, I've noticed--and you probably have too--that life is quite cyclical. Boom. You're welcome. But really, we're born, we live, we die. And all of the in between is pretty predictable. Solomon said there was nothing new under the sun and he was right. Solomon might not have had an iPad,

Clearing The Air

2011-11-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've been in a bit of funk. Have you noticed? I've limited my appearances to Wordful Wednesdays--which is fine, because I fill them with adorable pictures--but the missing part is my writing. Sigh. I think we all arrive here at one time or another. Writers block. I miss writing. I miss thinking in my writer's voice. Now the only voice I hear is the non-creative one. The one that tells me to

Wordful Wednesday: I'm Thankful

2011-11-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

Oh there is so much to be thankful for. Where to begin? Bing Crosby had it right when he said to count your blessings instead of sheep. I have to say--it works. I used to journal all the time. Now, handwriting is a difficult task. But there is something special about recording an event by hand--at least I think so. I like to look over my old pages, see my ever-evolving handwriting, and listen to

Wordful Wednesday: Happy Birthday Coco!

2011-11-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

Last week my baby girl turned three. It was a long anticipated day in our household. Coco's been asking about her birthday since July. When she woke up I said, "Coco! It's your birthday today!" She replied, "Well, where is it?" I was a little taken aback. "It's right here--right now!" She then calmly said, "Ok, well, first I need to take off my nighttime panties." I honestly don't know

Wordful Wednesday: Tea Party

2011-11-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

We had a tea party last week. It was precious. Two girls. Two chairs. Two cupcakes. One tea-pot...full of milk. It was a celebration of sorts. Coco missed her dear friend's 3rd birthday party. So we put together a party of our own. "Girl Time," Coco calls it. It's a tradition she and I started where we drink coffee from tiny espresso cups that Matt bought us in Rome. I think we

Eight Cocoisms: Things My Three Year Old Tells Me

2011-11-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

1.) Mom, could you get outta here? I'm trying to sing. 2.) When you brush my teeth I can't talk. 3.) Neverrrrrrrrrrr!!! 4.) But I NEED to go to Starbucks! 5.) Mama, are you making a nice face or a naughty face? 6.) Dada! Just be quiet for a minute, Ok? I'm talking right now. 7.) We have to go to Trader Joe's to find the dragon. 8.) I didn't hit Chaucer. I just pushed him. **This

Wordful Wednesday: Halloween Recap

2011-11-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived the week. If you read last week's post you'll know that it was...crappy. This last weekend was pretty rough too. But, we're now all back in our home and the kids had a pretty fantastic Halloween. I've decided we live in the ultimate town for Halloween. Downtown Davis has a "Trick or Treat Trail" where all the local businesses pass out candy for a million little kids. I

Wordful Wednesday: A Lot of Crap. Literally.

2011-10-26T01:27:00.000-07:00

Um, I'm sorry I don't have cute pumpkin patch photos to share with you. I had planned pumpkin patch photos. It was just a little wish. A little want, on my part. Not too much to ask, right? I have no pumpkin patch photos. I did not get my wish or my want this last week. You know what I did get? Crap. Literally...crap. Human waste. And lots of it. I am going to give you the play by play of my

22 Things I Have Never Done

2011-10-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

Everyone's doing this today. Mama Kat released this prompt and got us all thinking. Not wanting to be left out, I joined the fun. Here's my list of things I've never done. I'm 26 years old and I have never: 1.) Been to Middle Earth. 2.) Used contacts. 3.) Worn stilettos. 4.) Eaten cow tongue. 5.) Kissed a stranger. 6.) Been a witch for Halloween. 7.) Seen Boston in the Fall. 8.)

Wordful Wednesday: My Children Are Brilliant.

2011-10-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

I wish I could be a kid again. A little kid that sees everything in life as spectacular. There would be moments of seriousness, of course. Sometimes it would be difficult to understand. But then there would be the adventure. THE adventure of just running. Of climbing a tree. Or finding a portal to another world...a wardrobe? I wish. I would make things. I would appreciate my sand

Sin In A Bowl: How Eating Gluten Free Caused Me To Stumble

2011-10-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

"A recipe that when all types of wrong" is what I am going to tell you about today. But first, know this: right and wrong sometimes dance pretty close together. Can I get an amen? So. This recipe started with good intentions. I needed a quick pot-luck dish. It needed to be "harvesty." Most of my neighbors brought wholesome harvest food. Like butternut squash and asparagus. Alas. I knew I

Wordful Wednesday: I Ran A Half Marathon (in spirit, that is)!

2011-10-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Wanna get inspired? Don't worry. This isn't another craft post. This is a post about inspiration. And I just wish someone would "pin" it. Wink wink. So, here's a little thing I never knew: watching marathons/half-marathons is good for the soul. Did you know that? I sure didn't. I figured it would be boring. But it WASN'T! That contraction just looks weird in all caps. Last weekend we drove

Fascinating Friday: Getting Pinteresting

2011-10-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging out on Pinterest lately. Way too much, actually. I have to say, the place is a goldmine for inspiration. Problem for me is, well, I feel this sense of pressure to actually act upon that inspiration. What a pain. As if my life needs pressure from a social media clipboard for crying out loud! But, this is the age we live in and I embrace it's follies. Some of them. I thought

My Normal Non-Normal Life

2011-10-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

@font-face { font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }.MsoPapDefault { margin-bottom: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; } A few weeks ago, Matt and I got to get away on a

The Only Things I Label Are My Children

2011-09-28T23:38:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that I've fallen into the trap that most parents fall into when they have more than one child...I label, the children, that is. Really nothing else in my house is labeled. Come to think of it, labeling things other than my children could result in an improved quality of life. Huh. I feel that it's impossible not to do. Whenever you find yourself and your child surrounded by other