The Chronicles of a SAHM

Implants

2012-05-21T21:19:00.007-05:00

I feel old:/

I was flossing my teeth last week...and my dang crown fell out:(

I don't know what it is with dentists in this town. Nobody does the actual thing you need done.

The first guy I went to was all..."You need an implant, I will put a post in your jaw, and then attach a new crown to it." to the tune of $1600. Here's the kicker..."I won't do it until you go see a root canal specialist, because I suspect your root canal didn't take and you'll need another one..." to the tune of another $1600!

To which I said to him..."Why the heck would I need another root canal?!?" I wasn't attacking him...I just couldn't understand why if I can't see it, and I can't feel it...I need it."

SO...I went on to say "I have given birth to two children...and that root canal was way worse. Root canals are way worse than childbirth and I'd like to avoid it if I can."

Which will stop any man in his tracks...I find that most men who don't know you...are left with their jaw on the floor if you talk child birth at them...

Whatever...I still have a big hole in my mouth...seeing another dentist on Thursday. Fingers crossed for a better prognosis...

So it begins...

2012-05-18T22:44:00.005-05:00

Miss Peach created an email account for herself. Then she sent me this email...

It says "can you make me a blog/i love you"

I didn't know I could put backgrounds on my emails...how did she figure that out???

Turning a corner

2012-05-15T08:36:00.002-05:00

I've been driving a bit more. Not a lot by most standards...but a bit more.

Rather than spend every afternoon at the playground after school, twice a week, we've been driving to the health club. It works out really well since the kiddos love the play room. (What's not to love, the place has a climbing wall, a Nintendo Wii, and an indoor tree house.) I get an extra two hours to work while kiddos play...win-win.

While heading north on a busy Chicago street, in a lane that had gone from one to two because of construction, I met the biggest idiot on the planet. (In case you are wondering, he drives a Uhaul van.)

I'm in my one little lane, waiting to turn left...didn't make the light, and stopped.

Well, Mr. Uhaul jerkwad lays on his horn, like I'm the biggest idiot on the planet for not making the turn. I hate folks who plow into the intersection only to block all traffic because there is no room for them on the other side. How would my butt hanging in the intersection make his life any easier? I was SO mad, I actually considered getting out of the car. (Which I would never do.)

I turned around, and looked right at him. His bald ugly head all scrunched up yelling at me. I stayed calm and talked right through my back window, and his windshield.

"I have two kids in the car." pointing at Miss Peach and Little Man. "There is a woman in the intersection, and a traffic jam on the other side. Where exactly do you want me to go?"

Little Man and Miss Peach turned and looked at him, shaking their stuffed animals at him..."Yeah!" they chimed in.

"Just turn around!" he yelled, while doing the double point from his eyes to mine.

"You started this." I calmly said back. "I have two kiddos in my car, and they are way more important to me than your schedule."

Then the light turned green. I made it around the corner, and his big fat Uhaul butt got stuck in the intersection.

Happy Mother's Day!

2012-05-10T19:46:00.001-05:00

I've spent too much time at the playground this week.

That's what you get when you have the shortest school day in the nation, and the powers that be have cut out recess to make up for how little time they actually get in the classroom.

When I pick up the kiddos, they need to run. SO...I give them a good two hours at the playground.

Today, The Little Man wanted me to dig his lunchbox out so he could graze over what was left. I opened his backpack, and pulled out this...

...and his shoulders dropped...and his head sank...and he said...

"Mommy, you weren't supposed to see that:("

So I told him he could give it to me on Mother's Day, and I would pretend I hadn't seen it.

Surprisingly...this worked...and all was right with the world:)

Kinda funk

2012-05-08T22:12:00.004-05:00

I've been in a funk lately. It's a weird funk...like a frustrated funk...

I feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I don't like it...

So I went for a run...

Lego Farnsworth House

2012-05-06T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm a big architecture geek. When I got my interior design degree, my school was OBSESSED with Mies van der Rohe. I'll say it right here...I'm a fan.

I was snug as a bug in a rug when we lived in a Mies building. I'd go back in a heartbeat. LOVED it!

What does all this have to do with my Birthday this weekend, you ask?

I got the Lego Farnsworth House for my Birthday!

You shoulda' seen me putting this bad boy together this afternoon. A machine I tell ya!

Oh the things I'd do...

2012-05-02T22:39:00.001-05:00

Where has the day gone?

I've been so busy lately, I don't have a moment to turn around...let alone put stuff on Smokey's head and take pictures. I miss Smokey pictures:( I simply must find more time...

I have been designing blog after blog after blog...

Here is the latest on my desk. Super cute, right?!?

It's cute, clean, functional...(those little pictures in the header rotate with her most recent posts...how fun is that for a food blogger)

Anyway...Now that I've shown you what I've been up to, I just know my Mom is going to yell at me.

Why, you ask?

Well, she promised her plumber that I'd rock out a site for him if he cut her a deal on plumbing services...Thanks Mom...I'll get on it...I promise...(really, I will)

Somehow I feel like I got the short end of that deal:/

No mimes

2012-04-30T17:49:00.000-05:00

This was our conversation on our rainy walk home from school today. Miss Peach was blowing bubbles the entire way...I could not stop chuckling at this random exchange...

Little Man: "Do you like mimes?"

Me: "I'm not so fond of mimes."

Miss Peach: "Why doesn't Daddy like mimes?"

Me: "Well, I think Daddy feels a lot like Mommy when it comes to mimes."

Little Man: "Why don't you guys like them?"

Me: "Well...I think it has to do with them coming up to you and trying to pull you into their act. I don't like that...I have no idea what they're going to do, and I feel like I have no control of the situation...and I don't like that."

Miss Peach: "Well, there's a lot of mimes in Paris. That's why I'm going to have my honeymoon in London."

Little Man: "If I see a mime, I'm going to run away from it. Will it chase me?"

Me: "No honey, mimes don't chase you. They're passive, I've never heard of a mime attacking someone."

Little Man: "If a mime saw me and I tried to cross the street, would he step in front of me and stop me?"

Me: "Sweety, mimes aren't aggressive. They won't chase you down the street or trip you if you don't want to play along."

Little Man: "Well, if I see a mime, I'm gonna throw him in the garbage can."

Me: "Well alright then."

Sometime's you're the bear

2012-04-26T22:03:00.002-05:00

Came across this on the web today. Poor Mr Bear found himself in a tree at University of Colorado Boulder. He hung out in a tree for two hours until wildlife folks tranquilized him and caught him. This fuzzy fellow will be relocated to a higher elevation.

I don't know...after the week I've had...I kinda feel like the falling bear...

Lego Man

2012-04-24T22:26:00.002-05:00

My Little Man is bound and determined to be a Lego modeler when he grows up. It's really all he does.

He marches around with all of his home made vehicles...Today, we photographed them to send to Lego (He's hoping to be showcased in Lego Magazine.)

Sometimes I wish he was a bit more interested in sports...I'm thinking maybe Bill Gates or Steve Jobs moms said the same thing;)

Put on my boots!

2012-04-22T21:15:00.006-05:00

I spent the weekend in St. Louis at Bloggy Boot Camp!

Saying I was blown away by the speakers doesn't even begin to cover it. (I was honored to be speaking with these ladies...especially Tip Junkie and Danielle Smith. These are some sharp ladies.)

I don't know why I can't stop thinking about the snicker cake dessert...but yum, YUM:P

If you get a chance, check out Bloggy Boot Camp...the next stop is Philly...Yes, I'll be there!

No stage mom

2012-04-19T11:54:00.000-05:00

Little Man: "Mommy, what would it be like if I had my own TV show?"

Me: "Well, little kids who have their own TV show have to work a lot. They don't get to play on the playground like you do. They have to get up, go to school...then they have to go to work making their TV show...That doesn't sound like much fun...does it?"

Little Man: (without one ounce of thought or hesitation) "Well...I still want my own TV show."

Miss Peach: (chiming in while hanging her head upside down over the edge of the bed) "Yeah...me too!"

Between you and me...I kinda want my own TV show too;P

Someone didn't see Terminator

2012-04-17T21:43:00.000-05:00

I do tubbies most nights.

It's a good bedtime ritual. Typically, I sit on the toilet seat reading Flipboard on my iPhone, while The Little Man splashes about. (coolest app ever) Whenever I hit a video Little Man would like, I show it to him and we talk about how cool it is.

My filters are news, technology, design, and style.

Found this little gem in technology yesterday:

Like...doesn't this end with Skynet and the annihilation of all mankind???

Just sayin' ;)

Hang in there!

2012-04-15T21:39:00.004-05:00

Reminds me of those kitty posters from when I was a kiddo...

Fly little butterfly

2012-04-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

Spread your wings and fly...

OK, you got me...I was jones'n to put something on Smokey...so I dug around in Miss Peach's closet and look what I found.

What...like you've never put butterfly wings on a cat, photographed it, and put it on your blog???

Twirl Girl

2012-04-09T20:58:00.008-05:00

Miss Peach got these fantastic new shoes. They're called Bella Ballerina. (No, this is NOT a sponsored post)

They have this rubber turntable in the ball of the feet. All she has to do is lift her heel and...

SPIN...
AND SPIN...
AND SPIN...

She's having a blast;)

Happy Easter!

2012-04-05T20:47:00.001-05:00

The kiddos got an Easter Cookie Making Set from Grandpa Tony and G'ma Jaimie today!

Needless to say...they were a HUGE hit!

Bark at the moon...

2012-04-03T21:46:00.003-05:00

Made a new friend at the zoo today...Is he sizing me up for dinner???

The red balloon...

2012-04-01T21:05:00.000-05:00

I can only tolerate about 2 hours of a preschool Birthday party. I don't think that makes me a bad person. There's just too much stimulation, and the kiddos start melting down (usually mine).

On the way out the door, the Birthday girl handed out balloons. The Little Man had his eye on a red balloon, and he got it. We had a good 20 minute walk home on a blustery Chicago afternoon, so I insisted on tying it to his wrist. We went round and round about how the balloon should be tied, and finally I gave in and tied it his way...after explaining time after time that it might get away from him...

Whatever, I tied it his way, and off we went...Some battles are just not worth fighting.

Would you believe we didn't get even HALF a block away from the party, and that dog gone balloon got away from him:/

He. Melted.

I will never forget how his little face wrinkled up, as he sank to his knees and cried...no sobbed into his hands.

"My heart is broken!" he screamed.

I reached down and picked my big boy up. His body was limp, and he sobbed into my shoulder...

"It hurts so much...my. heart. hurts!"

The Damn red balloon made it's escape as my Little Man's heart broke, and there was nothing I could do about it:(

I could only carry him for about half a block, then I had to put him down. He's getting so dang big!

Miss Peach was holding her Daddy's hand and walking ahead of us. Her balloon was following happily on her wrist. Stoopid balloons:/

I got down to The Little Man's eye level, "I know your heart hurts, and losing your balloon makes you very sad...and you being sad makes Mommy very sad...I promise you, we will get you another red balloon...but I can't get one right now:("

No sooner did I explain all this to him, did Miss Peach turn around and say..."It'll be OK Little Man, you can have my balloon when we get home."

I. was. shocked.

Half the time, she's yelling at me about how she never wanted a brother...now here she was giving him her balloon to make him feel better. I told her what a wonderful thing that was to do...and how proud I was of her as a big sister...and she said...

"What else am I gonna do...I don't want to listen to him cry all the way home."

Well...it still was a nice thing to do;)

Breaded Cat

2012-03-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

The Chicago Sun Times had an article on Cat Breading...

You know I had to jump on that one...Mr Smokey's thrilled=D

The Hunger Games

2012-03-25T21:52:00.005-05:00

Let me start by saying...I have not read the books. I would like to read the books...it's something that would be nice to do with all that spare time I have laying around. (Note to self...find spare time lying around.)

I know exactly what drew me to The Hunger Games...the absurdity of the fashion. I had to see what this was about...and boy did I get WAY more than I bargained for. It really surprised me, since this movie has been billed as the next Twilight. Yes, I saw the last two Twilight's...and I liken them to a REALLY bad Lifetime movie. I actually burst out laughing in the second one. Just. Ridiculous.

I would say if Twilight ever grew up (not happening) it would want to be The Hunger Games. There is so much going on. I was blown away by the set designers, and the costume designers. The contrast between the 12 Districts (think Coal Miner's Daughter) and Panem (think Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette) was mind boggling. I literally could not take my eyes off it.

The whole divide of the haves vs the have nots, and the willingness of the have nots to be controlled by the haves is frighteningly sad. While the plot of children battling in a fight to the death on air as entertainment is horrifying, the director handles the violence very well. It is tragic and sad, but not graphic. I suspect that was to keep it's PG 13 rating, which was fine with me, because I really didn't need any more in that arena.

I was riveted by the role of media and TV manipulation to not report the truth, but rather to tell the most marketable story. The role of the stylist as the driving factor for like ability and survival in the games fascinated me. Lenny Kravitz kicked a$$ as Cinna. His best line was the purpose of your dress is to be "unforgettable"...and all of the costumes certainly are. I'm telling you...go for the costumes...they are the star of the show.

Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson and Wes Bentley were riveting on screen. Completely stunned, by Elizabeth Bank's performance as Effie Trinket, is an understatement. Had I not known it was here...I never would have guessed.

It's a really smart movie which draws from TV, fashion, media, and the divide between the 1% and the rest of us, and pushes that to the extreme. While it's two and half hours long, it was over in a blink, and left me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one.

Casting Call

2012-03-22T20:53:00.003-05:00

Smokey heard something about casting for extras at the Lyric Opera of Chicago...

I think he's got a real shot;P

Anatomy of a brain freeze

2012-03-20T20:23:00.000-05:00

Thank you Dairy Queen;)

Them Dukes!!!

2012-03-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

Every night, we do tubbies. It's a good bedtime ritual...calms the kiddos down, and gets them ready for bed.

It never fails, Miss Peach gets in the tub, dunks her head under the soapy suds, comes back up and says: "Mommy, tell me a story."

Straight up...I've run out of made up stories. Usually, I'm tired, and I just. got. nuthin'.

SO...I've started telling stories about my life growing up on a farm. (What...you didn't know I grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere?)

I don't know how/why this popped into my head...but it did...and oddly enough...it's true.

When I was a kiddo, there was always an old farm truck parked in between the barn, and the house. All farm houses have an old truck that you use to cart whatever from point A...across a field to point B.

In my head, this truck is blue and rusty. Being a tom boy, my best friend was Steve. We played ALL the time.

One of our favorite games...and it pains me to admit this...was Dukes of Hazzard.

"How..." you ask "do you play Dukes of Hazzard?"

OK...the old farm truck would be parked in the driveway with the windows down. I would be in the drivers seat...hands on the wheel miming a grand getaway. I would then look back at the imaginary bad guys on our tail...and I'd say "I'm going out...take the wheel!"

I would then...climb out of the truck, through the window...go over the top of it...for what ever reason completely escapes me. There was no gun fighting...so what exactly I was doing on the top of the truck...I couldn't even begin to tell you. Eventually...I'd climb back in the passenger side window.

Steve would scoot over and take the wheel while the climbing nonsense was going on...and he'd drive us away from the bad guys for a while. Then...he'd look at me and say "I'm going out...take the wheel!"

...and it would go on...and on...

I have no idea why this was SO FUN to us...and we'd play it for hours and hours.

FWIW...Miss Peach thought it sounded like loads of fun...so there you go;)

I am a big dork...

2012-03-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

It's not exactly news that I've turned blog designing into my full time job...

I love blogs...I love designing them...I love design in general.

It's kinda like finally getting to use my two design degrees to pull together color schemes and logos and breathe a personality into web pages...I really love it.

So...today when I get feedback from my client saying..."I want the social bookmark icons to reflect the name of the blog..."...

Here's what I came up with: I think they are SO darn fun! (me whispering "hover over each of them") ...and yes...I am a big dork;)