Date Night

Derrick scored free tickets to an Admirals hockey game. (They're Milwaukee's minor league team, and our first time going to one of their games. Jennifer and Brian, aren't you so proud??) Now, he was not so excited to see the game so much as the free STYX concert afterwards. So we lined up a babysitter (THANK YOU Mike and Linda!!), and we put Summer to bed at their house. (Of course, I worried the whole time whether she stayed asleep, did she wake up, is she hungry, are we going to have to leave early to go get her, etc. Turns out she didn't make a peep all night. What a relief! Linda also watched Summer last week when I went to the spa (Derrick's v-day present to me) and was good for her then, too.)

Anyway, we got to the game at the start of the 2nd period. Now, I don't know a whole lot about hockey. The only part hockey has in my life are in the phrases "tonsil hockey" and "H E double hockey sticks." My high school boyfriend played roller hockey and I would occasionally go to some of his games, but lets be honest, I didn't really pay that much attention. (Sorry, Tommy.) I know what a hat trick is, and I know about the penalty box, but quite frankly, everything I learned about hockey I learned from watching The Mighty Ducks. quack, quack, quack....

Still, the game was really entertaining. The Admirals played the Iowa Chops (whose name I find pretty funny), and while the Admirals dominated the entire game, the Chops won after overtime and a sudden death shootout. All very exciting. We had great seats, and it seemed all the goals were shot right in front of us. Lots of fights, which is great, because really, it's all anyone wants to see. Hockey is one giant fight with a game going on in the background.

(Taken with my camera phone--surprisingly good quality!)

But more entertaining still, were the events that went on during intermission. Only in Milwaukee will you find such games. The first consisted of three men who had to roll a keg around the outer edge of the rink and into a goal. The winner was awarded Milwaukee Gold: a case of Miller Lite. The second game, sponsored by Uncle Ben's, was really fun to watch. There were huge bowling pins at one end of the rink, and people on sledding discs were launched towards the pins via a HUGE elastic slingshot type thing. Whoever knocked down the most pins won. And just what did they win? A box of Uncle Ben's rice. That's right, a wee little box of rice. Way to go big, Uncle Ben.

Any event involving drunk people instantly ups the entertainment value of said event. We had the privilege of sitting by some very funny drunk people, just adding to our fun night.

Due to the overtime and shootout, we only got to stay for about 30 minutes of Styx before we had to leave and go pick up Summer. We did hear some classics, though, like "Lady" and "Crystal Ball." Good stuff. I loved all the people in their vintage Styx shirts and headbands.


All in all, a great night, even though I stressed about Summer the whole time. I shouldn't have, really. If she was acting up, they would have called, right? And if they didn't, well then, that's their problem, right? Right.

Thanks again Chaplins!

Note to self, and other bakers:

While they may sound alike, and look alike, baking soda and baking powder may not, in fact, be used interchangeably. Especially when making adorable sugar cookies.

That's what I get for talking on the phone and baking at the same time. I blame you, Linda.

Word Nerd

Derrick and I like to quiz each other on song artists. He usually dominates, especially if it's a song from the 80's. Last night "Funkytown" came on, and I always ask him who sings it and he never remembers.

So I told him, "Lipps. Lipps, Inc."

He asked, "Like lipsync?"

I had never heard it like that before, but I'm sure that's the play on words they were going for. I instantly fell in love with that name. I was literally tickled over it, I couldn't stop giggling about what a clever name it is.

Derrick then mentioned how he's still "got it" and how glad he is that he can make me laugh, make me happy. I told him yes, he gives me great wordplay, and who needs foreplay when you have great wordplay?

I cracked myself up again and in my mind was thinking about how I was going to blog about this conversation. Then he disrupts my thoughts and says, "You're already writing the blog in your head, aren't you?"

MFEO, baby, MFEO.

But seriously, folks, there is nothing I love more than a clever phrase, a witty saying. A secret meaning that oftentimes goes unnoticed. I started a minor in Linguistics at BYU, and I wish I had finished it.

And can I tell you again how excited I am to have a working library card? I've already puts lots of books that I've been wanting to read on hold. I haven't read anything non-baby related in months. My poor brain is craving some educational intake. And since I've cut out a lot of TV lately, I have plenty of time to read!

Library Love

4 years ago, I racked up a $60 library fine. On magazines. They were all returned, in one piece, yet the $60 fine remained. My card expired, and ever since I have been too scared to go back and try and fight my fine. Well, today I mustered up enough courage and went to the library for the first time in 4 years. I pleaded my case to the lady behind the counter, explaining to her my mix-up about how long I could keep an item, but I was willing to to pay some of the fine, but don't you think $60 is a little much, especially since they were all returned? She then told me she would have to talk to someone else about lowering my fine. Well, just then the library director walks by and hears our conversation. I fill him in on what's happening, and admit to him that I've been scared to come back, and he suggests that I pay $10 and call it good, after all, "we want you to enjoy the library!" I was SO grateful and kept thanking them over and over again. What a relief! It was like Christmas. I had to pay $3 to get a new card, thinking I had thrown my old one away. After the transaction was complete, what did I find in my wallet? Yup. My old card. Sigh. Oh well, $13 is better than $60 any day!

So I happily browsed for a few minutes until Summer started crying. Some old lady came over to see her, and told me she hoped her crying would wake up her husband who was sleeping in Periodicals. I picked up a few books and I'm back to being a happy library patron once again!

Let's Get Physical

That smooth talker Carson is always trying to get physical with Summer. What a cassanova!



And here's Summer channeling a little Olivia Newton John circa 1981. Don't let her innocent face fool you-she worked us hard during step aerobics.

Post from the bedroom

Derrick wanted to go to bed early, and I wasn't really tired yet, so I brought the laptop to bed to get some stuff done that I've been meaning to do. He lays down and I can tell his neck is bothering him and he asks me if I can rub it for a few minutes. Being the nice wife that I am, I oblige and thoughtfully ask, "Does it hurt from sitting in front of a computer at work all day?" He replies, "No, I think it's from laying on the sofa and watching TV." And he's totally serious. And he's probably totally right. And we totally cracked up about it.

Secret my arse

I came across this ad while searching for the results to who got kicked off DWTS tonite. (Idol and Biggest Loser were already taping so it got the boot.)

Check this out. The "secret anti-aging, anti-wrinkle cure discovered by a Mom."


Does this "secret" also make your nose fatter and your nostrils smaller??? Ridiculous. Do they really expect people to believe that? The sad thing is, I bet there are some that do.

It Ain't Easy Being Green!

It's a beautiful day today!! We started out by going to a St. Patty's Day party at a friend's house. Then I picked up a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's and took a loooong walk around a neighborhood in Germantown. It was so windy it was like walking in water. Quite the workout!

Sunday we had our St. Patrick's Day dinner-corned beef and cabbage. I'd never made it before, and while it wasn't terrible, I don't think it'll be making its way into our regular dinner rotation. Once a year is good enough!

Hope you didn't get pinched today!

A world without wind is my kind of world

We've had a streak of warm weather these past couple days. And rumor has it we'll hit 70 tomorrow. Of course, higher temps around here mean an increase of wind. And there is nothing that will piss me off faster than wind. I hate wind. Hate it. I hate what it does to my hair. I hate what it does to the blanket covering Summer's car seat. I hate that it whips your car door open and into the car next to yours. I hate that it makes an otherwise warm day cold, and a cold day unbearable. I hate that it makes my DirecTV go out. I hate that you can't see it. I hate it. I even hate those creepy windmills covering the hills in California. They freak me out. It's like being in a nightmare or something, seeing them. Straight up gives me the heeby jeebies.


I've been in lots of scary hurricanes growing up. Why? Wind. We get tornado warnings every once in awhile here. Why? Wind. Are either of these things good? No.

A simple conclusion: wind causes hurricanes. Hurricanes are bad. Wind is bad.

I don't sail boats. I don't fly kites. I don't windsurf or sky glide. I have no need for wind in my life. Really, I sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of a benefit of wind, and the only thing I can think of is cross-pollination. But that's why we have bees! They'll just do double duty. See? No need for wind!

Wind, get thee hence!

8 hours!

My darling daughter has slept 8 hours straight for the past two nights. All my worrying for nothing. She'll just do it on her own time. Stubborn little turkey.

Getting closer...

I went to BYU.

I got married while attending BYU.

I blog.

I've read the entire Twilight series...and seen the movie.

I've been to a Shade party.

I digital scrapbook.

I have a baby.

I go to playgroups.

And I now have an Etsy shop: Donkey Designs

I'm only a mini-van, Prozac, and my own photography business away from being a real Mormon Mom!

Scouting Scam

Thin Mints are arguably one of the best cookies known to man. Well, of cookies that come in boxes, I suppose. Every year I buy Girl Scout Cookies, and every year I buy Thin Mints, and maybe a box or two of the new flavors that year. Well, I was organizing my pantry shelves yesterday and came across a box of Thin Mints from last year. (I know...how is that even possible??) The old box is on the left. This year's box is on the right.


Do you see what I see?? A noticeably smaller box. Last year's box? 10 oz. This years? 9 oz. That's a 10% decrease. Did I pay 10% less for these cookies? NO! I still paid a whopping $3.50 per box. At the risk of sounding like my grandparents (or parents for that matter)...when I was a kid selling Girl Scout Cookies they were $2 a box!!

Worse still, the Nutrition Facts remain unchanged from last year.

Serving Size: 4 cookies (yeah right...more like 14)
Servings per Container: about 8

Which leads us to deduce there are about 32 cookies per box. Now, based on the 10% decrease in ounces, we can deduce that there are 10% less cookies, or 3.2 cookies. Which takes us down to 28.8 cookies. Assuming a serving size remains the same, we are down to 7.2 servings per container. Almost a full serving less. That's outrageous.

I want my 35 cents back. Actually, I bought 3 boxes this year. Make that $1.05. And don't give me the whole "it's for a good cause" spiel. What's the cause? Contributing to my fatness? Since I started writing this post I've scarfed down 6 easily. They should be called Chubby Mints.

Did you not think the American public would not notice this, little Brownies? Do you think we will continue to support an organization that cheats us? You damn well better believe we will, because as Derrick said it best, "They put crack cocaine in those little cookies."

Total eaten: 9

2 month checkup

Monday Summer had her 2 month appointment. Which also meant she had to get 2 shots. I was dreading it. They poked each leg at the same time, and she screamed higher and louder than I've ever heard her scream before. Sooo sad. Luckily she was easily comforted and fell right asleep on the way home, and then slept the rest of the afternoon and night, waking up only to eat. Poor girl.

She weighed in at 10 lb. 11.5 oz, in the 30th percentile. Still our little chunk, though.
She's 21.5" long, in the 13th percentile. What do you expect from midget parents?

She's in her own room now, sleeping in her crib. She loves it. Never even looked back at her pack-n-play. Everyone sleeps better now. In fact, she goes down around 7 and wakes up around 1 or 2 to eat, then again at 6 or 7. We're a little screwed up due to Daylight Savings, but we're getting back on track slowly. My favorite is when she wakes up for the day, around 9, and just talks in her crib until I come get her and she's all smiles when she sees me. Love it.

And I love these blue eyes!

Pure Hilarity

For as much reality TV that we watch, we've never watched any dancing shows. Not sure why this is. Well, last night Dancing with the Stars premiered, and Melissa from the Bachelor is now competing as a last minute fill-in. So of course Derrick wanted to watch. So we did. As a side note, I've decided to stop watching "Jon & Kate plus 8", mostly because she is such a biotch and I can't stand to watch her anymore. I also canceled my season pass for "America's Next Top Model" cycle 12. Having watched the previous 11 cycles, you'd think this would have been harder. It wasn't. I don't like Tyra, I never have, but I like seeing the photos. Mostly I like seeing Nigel Barker, noted fashion photographer. Anyway, something had to go if we were going to add DWTS. Which, by the way has THE cheesiest graphic coming back from commercial. You know, that disco ball and the script writing? Lame.

ANYWAY...watching the stars dance was one of the funniest things I've ever watched. My favorite by far was Steve-O (who goes on my list of people I'm embarrassed to say is good-looking. Everyone has their list. This was always a good conversation to have with Scott and Derrick. Scott's is Helen Hunt. Derrick's is Serena Williams. Secret's out, boys. Another on my list is Dustin Hoffman. This really should be its own blog post. Who's on YOUR list?)

Wow...I'm obviously easily derailed today. OK. Steve-O. Watching him dance was soo funny. I tried finding a legit video, but all I could find was someone who videotaped their TV screen. You can't see his facial expressions, which were what really made it so funny. The dance is just the first 1:20. I hope he makes it far, just so we can see him dance more.



Other gems were Steve Wozniak and Ty Murray. Great stuff.

Sir Mix-a-Lot's Photoshop

This was on SNL a few weeks ago. I thought it was hilarious--especially the anaconda part.



Did anyone catch The Office this week? Sometimes I feel they're trying too hard to be funny, but this week I thought it was awesome. My favorite quote was by Jim when asked about going to a long lunch: "I don't know...I have a lot of work to do this afternoon. Those mines aren't going to sweep themselves!" Haha! As a recovering minesweeper addict myself, I could totally relate. Love it.

Give me back that Filet-o-fish!

This commercial is hilarious. The fact that I love filet-o-fishes makes it even better.



If you go to filetofish.com, you can play the game Shark Bait II. It's ridiculously hard. You have to move your sandwich and keep it away from the sharks. My best time is 7 seconds. Rather addicting, and quite frustrating!! And yes, this is what I'm doing on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Loyalties

If you know my husband, you know we watch a lot of sports around here. His loyalties are few, and run deep. First and foremost, BYU. BYU everything. Desperate enough, he will watch women's basketball games, just to root for the Cougs. Raised in SoCal, he always roots for the Lakers, USC (unless playing against BYU), the Dodgers, and the Angels. As far as the NFL goes, he usually roots for the Eagles, but only because they have the most BYU players.

And then there's me. I grew up a nomad, minus the llamas. Born in Texas. Have family in Texas and Pennsylvania. Lived in Virginia (twice), California, Michigan, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Utah, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. There are many teams I root for based solely on this fact.

It was my 6th grade year in North Carolina that I distinctly remember being introduced to sports. My family is not a sports family in the least. Sporting activities in my family consisted of racing to get the remote control first. My science teacher, Mr. Davis, was the biggest Tarheel fan you'd ever meet. He ingrained in us the chant, "Duke is puke, Wake is fake, but the one we hate is NC State!" It was that year that NC won the tournament. I think that's when my love affair with March Madness started. Ever since I've been a Tarheel fan. I had my North Carolina Starter jacket (before they became 'hood). I traced the NC logo on my notebooks. And I still cheer for them. Unless, of course, they play the Gators. They are my true #1. Three years ago we visited Derrick's sister in Raleigh and went to Chapel Hill and Durham. Chapel Hill was gorgeous, and it made me fall in love with the Tarheels even more. We got lost driving around Duke, only solidifying my disdain for them. I mean really, they are puke.

Without fail, Derrick and I will wind up rooting for the opposite team. I don't think we have ever rooted for the same team in the Superbowl since we've been married. Or the college football championship game. Or the World Series. And I usually win, which drives Derrick crazy.

I'm sure I'm spreading my loyalties too thin. Can it even be considered loyal when you have like 10 teams? Probably not. In the meantime, I continue to pick my bracket based on whether or not I've lived in the school's state. Scientific? Not so much. But it has served me well in the past.

In other sports-related news, did you hear Tom Brady married that ugly hooker Gisele on Thursday? She's hideous, right?? RIGHT?? That was a sad, sad day. It'll never last, mark my words. He'll realize he's really madly in love with me, and I'll have to gingerly let him down easy and tell him I'm flattered, really, but that I'm already married and in love with a man who is NOT an NFL quarterback who is NOT a millionaire. Sigh...

So there you have it, Joe. My Tarheel's history. I will forever root for them. And the Devil Rays (yes, I know they're just the Rays now), and the Longhorns, and the Gators, and the Patriots, and the Brewers, and....

'Noop-Dogg in da house!!

I will be voting for Anoop every single week. You can count on it. And I kind of have a little crush on him. And he's a Tarheel. Icing on the cake.


Our stinky DVR cut off right before they announced the 3rd wildcard winner. So we totally missed the whole, "just kidding it's 13!!" announcement and Anoop's reaction. If he didn't make it was going to be soooo ticked. Love him!

Sleepy sleep

My little girl is growing up! Tonite she spends her first night in her crib, in her own room. She went down for naps in her crib today with no problems, and went down for the night just as easily. I'm hoping we'll all sleep better now that we're separated. It'll be a drag to walk the 20 feet into her room when she wakes up hungry, but I think I'll survive. I finally sewed up some "draft dodgers" to put in front of her drafty closet doors and hung thermal-backed, black-out drapes on her window. Hopefully it stays nice and warm and dark for her.

I read Babywise and Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, and they tell me she should be sleeping 8 or 9 hours at night by now. This is not happening. Right now she goes down between 7 and 8 and will go until 12 or 1, a good 5 or 6 hours sometimes. And then she'll wake up ever 3 or 4 the rest of the night. What gives? It frustrates me. I did read these books before she was born, so I think I shall read them again and see what we can figure out. I think my problem is that I just feed her when she wakes up crying because I know it will quiet her and she'll go back to sleep quickly.

Now that she's out of our room, I can read in bed at night again! Let's hope I get this figured out soon!

If it's free, it's for me!

I love freebies. I've been signing up for free things for years. Thanks to the Internets, there are blogs dedicated to all things free. Of course I've started to read them! My stockpile of freebies has greatly increased over the past couple months--food, beauty products, tickets, magazine subscriptions, etc.

Here's my latest score: a free tote bag from Victoria's Secret PINK. Retail value $19.50! All I had to do was sign up at their PINK Nation site. That's it!


Go get yours!

Blessing our blessing

Summer was blessed this past weekend, and my family and my MIL flew out to be here for it. Luckily for them it was a little warmer than last time they were out here right after she was born!

Highlights:

• Playing games at night. Dominoes and Monopoly. I dominated at Monopoly, which I've realized is a genius game. I don't think I'd ever played the official rules until this past weekend. Truly, genius.
  
• Having most of my plans fall through for entertaining everyone. Brewery tour? Sold out. Dinner at The Safehouse (uber cool spy-themed restaurant)? No dinner service when we were there. No password required for entry (makes it SO much more fun). Secret exit out of order. Boo Safehouse.
  
• Taking a family picture. The last family picture my family took was when I was in high school. It came out great-I can't wait to get them back next week!
• Seeing the beautiful blessing dress my mom made for Summer. And the booties. And the headband. She crocheted them all, and they are sooo darling. It was a teensy bit too small, so she had to do some last minute alterations but it all worked out in the end. So gorgeous. Thanks, Mom!!!
  
• The actual blessing. Derrick did a great job, and Summer didn't cry during the blessing. She did cry the rest of church, but that's because she was just so darn tired. She really wanted to be awake and happy and held by 2 grandmas and a grandpa all the time, but darn it she just needed those naps. Unfortunately, she was a little cranky most of the time, just because she was tired. And also unfortunately, that kind of stressed me out, and probably made me seem grumpy, which I'm very mad at myself for being that way. I loved having all the family here and seeing them with Summer. I wish we lived closer to everyone. Then they would see that she really is a happy baby and very nice to be around when she's not tired!!

I can't believe Summer is two months old today! It seems like yesterday I was holding her in the hospital, staring at her for hours. Everyone always asks if I can remember what life was like before she came, expecting a "no" response. Heck yes I can remember what life was like before she came! Full night's sleep. Leaving on a whim. Boobs that don't leak. But can I imagine life without her now? No way. She is the sweetest girl, so snuggly and perfect. I love her smiles, which are becoming more and more frequent. Even her cries make me laugh sometimes. It's become more real that she's my daughter now. For a long time it felt so surreal, like I was just babysitting. Now that we're on more of a schedule and I know what to expect from her, I feel more like her mom. I love it.

We wish we could have had more friends and family here, but I guess that's what we get for having a baby in Wisconsin in the middle of winter. Next time we'll plan a little better and live in the tropics in the summer. That should have a better turnout, huh?? :)

This is what poor Summer was doing most of the weekend.