Wild kingdom .....and pizza

So the family and I were out the other night trying out this new pizza place that just went in down the street. It's one of those places that has a plasma tv at every table and then a big one on the wall. Usually the big one has a game or something neutral on it.

So we are changing the channel on the one at our table. We find cartoon network and so we are good to go. Then we hear Sunshine talking about a piggy. We just think she's talking about something on the cartoon they are watching. So we don't give it much attention. Then Bug chimes in. He's like "Are there pigs that live in the wild?" . We say "yes, but not around here". At that moment Sunshine yells "Oh NO!!! Whats wrong with that piggy?!"

At that moment we turn around and realize that the big screen TV on the wall was on ESPN. However we just happen to hit right in the middle of some sort of hunting competition where they were in fact hunting....you guessed it, wild boar.

Perfect. Just the sort of thing I want to watch with my young kids while we are eating. I asked them to change the channel and they were totally embarrassed. You would think that ESPN would be a safe bet, but I guess not.

Now that poor Sunshine is scarred for life :)

No kidding, this is what that poor animal looked like before it got shot. They really are kind of cute.

My morning commute

So I have had this idea for a couple years and just haven't put the pieces together. I have been doing this morning commute since we moved to this house over 7 years ago. My husband works downtown in the land of overpriced parking garages. Generally they charged more for parking than we pay for car payment. Because they can. Usually companies pay for their employee parking so they can charge outrageous prices. His company doesn't though. Not even a discount. They won't even chip in for a bus pass. So we are on our own. We laid it all out and it is the cheapest for me just to drive him and pick him up everyday. It was sort of inconvenient for like the first couple of months, but I have been doing this for 7 years now, so it's just what I do. My kids know the drill as they have been doing this since the day they they were all born. We just take Dad to work in the morning.

So because of this I spend on average 2 hours in the car a day. Add in taking Bug to school.

But I have always wanted to take pictures along the way because on a nice morning, it's a really pretty commute. The Portland skyline with the sunrise in the back is pretty awesome. This morning it was about 20 degrees so the added chill makes it look all the more crisp.

Just a little slice of my life here. It may interest nobody but me, but I thought it was worth documenting.

Annie Oakley

So last night Sunshine had her first big sleep over at Nana's (my mom) house. They seemed to have great fun. They did lots of "Girl things" according to Sunshine. They camped out on the floor in her family room and went shopping today. Sunshine had a blast.

Whats funny is let me just preface this by saying that she's a little bit country to my little bit rock 'n roll. I loath most things country. But my mom seems to love it, so I openly make fun of her and she tells me to stuff it. It's just the little dance we do.Between you and me...I think she may believe that that she's one of the missing Mandrell sisters, but I can't be sure :)

Well for whatever reason....Sunshine is on this MAJOR cowgirl kick. (Much to my Mom's sha-grin) So my Mom introduced Sunshine to her new favorite store......the Tack Mercantile. yeah it is just what it sounds. Here is where you can get all of the Country Western style clothes you could ever want all in one place. She let Sunshine pick herself out her very own "cowgirl hat" and some (really nice...and no I'm not being snarky here...they really are nice) boots. She really let her pick them out herself.

Boy, Sunshine couldn't be more proud of her new treasures either. She got herself all saddled up and hopped on "Trigger" (Yes that's really the horses name) her trusty steed, and away she went. I had to pry her off of it just for dinner.

It's totally not my thing (what with the redneck and the hillbilly and all) but Sunshine and Nana are just two peas in a pod and I think I'm just going to have to learn to except this.


Or go nuts trying to fight it.

This is what happens

This is what happens when you turn you back on a 17 month old for any length of time. Somehow he got a hold of a self inking stamp that the kids had (not very well) hidden in their craft box. Luckily it is non-toxic, but as we seem to be finding out.....it isn't exactly washable. This happened at about 8:00 this morning, and it looked about the same when i put him to bed tonight.

his tounge and teeth are even a little red.

Good times.

awesome quotes

Ok so normally I put these in a nice little box off to the right here >>>>>

But today I have to get more than one and I didn't want them to get swept under the rug and not properly acknowledged.

All of them are classic Groucho Marx . Which C'mon!! Classic humor is way better than most of the drek you find today. And with that I give you some of the best one liners.

Behind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife.


Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who wants to live in an institution?


I remember the first time I had sex - I kept the receipt.


Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others.

Finally a nice day!!

So a couple of days ago we had a nice day and the kids were itching to get outside and enjoy it as they have been cooped up in what seems to be like the longest winter ever. I know we have quite a bit left still, but everyone was beginning to miss what it is like to play outside. We have just come off of a 2 week rain pattern. So some fresh air was a nice change. It still was pretty cold though. Notice the progression of the pictures. As we get to the last couple, the kids noses get redder and redder :)

Maniac on a tricycle

So i have said it before and I'll say it again. This kid is fearless! This was a couple days ago we actually had a brake in the rain so we got the kids out and playing.

Notice here how her feet hardly even touch the petals. She's like a freak road warrior. Flying down the street at mach speeds.

Update...

Ok I know this is totally me patting myself on the back and all....but I just thought I'd take a picture of what a sparkeling clean kitchen should look like. ...Look mom...I even cleaned all the pictures off the cabinets! You've been trying to get me to do that for months!

Another exciting and productive day in the life of me!

I even have dinner in the crock pot! And now I need to go spend the next hour in the car picking Bug up from school and my husband up from work. Off I go!

This is why....

So I love that you all care what I have to say, but I'm going to have a "Real" moment here. This is the real reason why I haven't posted anything in a couple days. I don't have any life threatening drama or deep contribution I have to give the world. I have just been over run by my own filth.

I'm trying desperatly to get a hold of the clutter that is my house. I put up 24 auctions on Ebay last night and I'm trying to down size. Althought all of my listings are Tupperware. (I have a lot of Tupperware. Have I mentioned that I love Tupperware? Truth is I sell it just to get my own discount :) I have a problem. Somebody help me)

Anyhow... I haven't written a new post , because this is what my kitchen looks like at this very moment. I know you can't hear it ( what with the series of tubes that is the internet) but it is in fact screaming at me. My kitchen that is. So I must go and take care of it.

Sorry I'm not more interesting, but this is the "Real" life of a stay at home mom. I may make it sound interesting, but most of it is pretty much everyday stuff. It's all about making everyday stuff interesting ;)

Snow morning!!

So around these parts, it dosen't snow very often. But when we get even the smallest dusting, the whole city shuts down. last night we got some freezing rain which with a little bit of snow. So naturally all schools were delayed by 2 hours this morning. We didn't realize this until we got to school and they turned us away. It really is pretty riduculous. Just take your time when driving on ice!!! Ask anyone who has ever lived in Alaska. You just learn to get around in it. otherwise we would all be shut ins.

Anyhow, this is what the kids did in the extra time this morning. They played pirate and turned his bed into a pirate ship.
By the way... he's in the big rubbermaid container in the bottom picture, but in actuality....it is his rescue boat. You know, the one that he had to catch when his scallywag sister made him walk the plank.
;)