potty talk, airbeds and other random tidbits

You know when you have a brain full of cluttered subjects and you just need to get them out … that is me today.

Let’s start with the most pressing issue that I’m hoping you can give some mommy-wisdom about.

Potty talk.

See this sweet four-year-old face? He looks innocent enough.

But each morning, without fail, I’ll say “Good morning Mason!” and this is his response:

Seriously. If its not fart, its a phrase that includes some combination of poop, pee, head or eyeball.

He’s got a potty mouth.

I know it may be normal – especially for four-year-old boys – but I’m not a big fan. The older boys were never this bad and so we are at a loss for how to deal with it. Half the time we laugh {because he seriously is funny and just so cute} and half the time he sits in time out. But neither are very effective.

So, any tips for banishing potty talk? I’d love your advice. I wish there was a chapter in Mrs Piggle Wiggle about the topic and I would give her cure a try.

I’ve been wanting to make these apple chips for a while and finally gave them a try this weekend.

They were very easy to make, taste great and I would definitely make them again.

Are you a Bachelor watcher? I am. Pure smut, but I love it. I’m behind a week, so don’t tell me who is off.

Want to know how I justify my Bachelor enjoyment? I say it is Biblical. Have you read the story of Queen Esther? King Xerxes was the Bachelor and Queen Esther received the final rose after he dated lots and lots of eligible bachelorettes. Read the story for yourself here. And if you want a more in depth study of the story of Esther, the Beth Moore study is pretty much amazing.

P.S. I’m kidding … I don’t think dating 25 women at once is biblical. It just does sort of happen in the Bible. Not saying its how it should be done and clearly the results aren’t all that great since nearly every couple breaks up in the end.

Carnations were buy one get one free at the grocery store last week, so I grabbed two bunches.

Even carnations can be so beautiful when clustered tightly together. For $4.99 I have pretty flowers on my coffee table that will last at least a week {another benefit of cheap flowers – they last forever}.

The winner of the JANUARY GIVEAWAY is …

Congratulations! Please send me a note with your address and I’ll pop your package full of kiddie delights in the mail.

The February Giveaway is coming soon …

For those of you who use Mac computers and are not quite sure how to use the symbols on the new Fancy font or the Emily font, I have created a short video sharing how to find and use them.

I hope this is helpful.

If you need help installing the font to your computer, I did a short tutorial at the end of this post: 25 Favorite Fonts

And if you are using a PC, there is a photo tutorial for how to install fonts at the end of this post: My Handwriting Font

You know you need a new mattress when you willingly choose a queen size blow-up bed on the floor of the guest room over your own king size bed in your own room.  Maybe we’re just getting old but our backs were hurting and my arms and hands were going numb which were not enjoyable ways to wake up each day.  One night we decided to try out the airbed that was still inflated from Christmas house guests and we’ve been sleeping on it since.  Its actually surprisingly comfortable. And no sore backs or numb limbs. However, it would be nice to move back into our room and sleep on our own big bed, so we’re now in the market for a new mattress. Any suggestions?

Are you bored of my randomness yet?

Hmmm … what else do I have for you …

I read this book and loved it. I mean, really loved it.

My best friend and I are starting this new bible study. Very excited about it.

I’ve been on a pin-fest. You can see my pinterest boards here.

This song is really good.  Sometimes I just listen to it on repeat really loud. It drowns out the kids in the back. You should try it sometime.

My brain feels better. Thanks for letting me ramble about these very random tidbits.

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snowmageddon

We don’t often get snow in the Seattle area and so when it comes, it is a big deal. School gets canceled. People stay home from work. Roads are closed. It is actually really fun.

For a day or two.

And it was.

Then the temperatures rose and fell and we woke to this:

The most spectacular icicles I have ever seen.

Each tiny branch, each little leaf was covered in ice. Frozen solid.

It was so beautiful, this ice storm.

But equally destructive.

Many trees could not hold the weight of the ice and they split. Branches fell on houses, roads and power lines. Which meant major power outages for hundreds of thousands of us around here. It was a crazy week.

. . .

I had a lot of work to do. I had a list of things I wanted to do. And a list of things I needed to do. Pretty much all of those went out the window.

School was canceled and the roads weren’t very safe, so we were home bound for the entire week – which is not normal for me. I like to get out. I like running errands. I like when the kids go to school.

On Thursday morning we woke to no power. I think this was the first time the boys can remember not having power and it was fun to see their excitement and curiosity about it.

When I explained what it meant to be without electricity, No. 2 said excitedly, “so that means you can’t use your computer?!!”.

Ouch.

So we played Uno and drank hot cocoa warmed on the gas stove and waited for daddy to make it home from work.  Then we spent the next two days with friends who have generators and made a party out of it.

We painted our nails. We read magazines. We collected icicles. We played with flashlights. We gathered for meals.

It was a really nice vacation right in our own neighborhood. With amazing friends who take care of each other.

It was not the week I had planned. I am behind on work projects. I didn’t get to do the errands I wanted to run or the tasks I needed to accomplish.

But I’m pretty sure this week was just what my kids needed.

And probably me too.

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resolutions

One thing that drives my husband crazy about me is my lack of goal-setting, vision-casting and forward-thinking. I am a very much an in the present and maybe a little bit of planning for the next day kind of girl. Part of me doesn’t want to be pinned down. I like to be flexible with my schedule and I find it hard to make plans for three months out when I really don’t know what I’ll be wanting to do three months from now.

That being said, I do realize that there is something good about setting goals. I have heard that if you write your goals down and post it somewhere visible, you are more likely to achieve them. I can buy that.

So in an attempt to increase my chances of achieving some resolutions, here I am writing them down, for all the world to see.

1. here’s the obvious one that probably falls on the top of everyone’s list: be healthy/eat less sugar/drink more water/work out.  I want these things just in general, but this year, I mostly want them because of no. 2.

2. wear a bikini in Maui. In three months. And look decent. Let’s hope writing this one down does wonders for me.

3. say yes more to my kids. They complain that I always say no {candy for an after school snack? No. Invite a friend over right as I’m starting dinner. No. Play pillow fight with my best pillows. No. I see their point}.  I want to be a little more relaxed this year, turn things that I would normally say no to into yeses {maybe offering good alternatives rather than just obliging – I still need to be practical!}.

4. close my office doors at 3:30pm when the kids get home from school. At least until they are in bed. I love working/designing/emailing/writing posts/reading blogs and sometimes it gets in the way of just being a mom. I want to do better at balancing this year.

5. take ballet. I think this is the year of living out my dreams of being a ballerina. Even if it is just in a little local ballet studio.

And that is all I can come up with for now.

Are you a resolution maker? Any good ones this year?

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