beanski

octopii

The answer to the questions from the pictures of Renee's bedroom are:

• NO, it is NEVER that clean, I picked it up to take the pictures. DUH.
• YES, I'd love to help you decorate...I love spending other people's money :)

The only way any of this is possible is that I buy things when I see them cheap and I am not afraid of doing a little crafting or sewing to get the look I want. Once I decided on pink and green for her room I started buying everything that I saw that was one of those colors and on clearance. Some of the shades of pink aren't perfect but unless you are looking super close, you'd never notice. The pink frames on her shelves I got for ONE DOLLAR each. Her curtains were $10. The quilt was $22 for the quilt and the matching shams. Over the weekend, I saw some espresso 11x14 frames on clearance at Target for $5 and I literally bought 10 of them. I may not use them today but I will use them someday. When they are like 75% off, I buy. It drives my husband absolutely insane because we have an entire room of crap waiting to be used for something. But whatever, I will use it and in the long run it will cost me a fraction of what I would have paid for it full price.

The kid's bathroom has been done for a while but I just got around to hanging up the pictures and taking the pictures of the final product on Monday. I love it. So does Renee but only because she likes octopii and seahorses.



 
I made the shower curtain and it turned out really cute. I bought a cheap plain white shower curtain and cut the bottom off. Then, I sewed on the fabrics I wanted to use. Really, really easy, like two hours of work easy and I think the materials were about $30 total.

Room 2 of a billion complete. Cameron's room is next...I just started on his quilt the other day.

santa is bringing books

If there's one thing we spend a lot of money on at our house it's kid's books. I get so tired of reading the same stories over and over and even though there are a few that she insists on reading every single day, she loves to get new books. She always listens closer when it's a new book, memorizing the flow and telling me what's coming up next.

Renee's favorites are:

• Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry - This is hands down her favorite book. She LOVES looking for Goldbug and learning about the various vehicles.
• Silly Sally by Audrey Wood, Don Wood - She can recite this book from memory. We have read it that many times.
• The Napping House by Audrey Wood, Don Wood - She giggles at the end of this book every.single.time. I love the build up and anticipation and the illustrations are beautiful.
• Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, Felicia Bond - This is the first children's book we got (a gift from my sister Jen the day after I found out I was pregnant with Renee). It is still a favorite.
• Time For Bed by Mem Fox, Jane Dyer - Our last book before going to sleep every night. I recite it from memory sometimes when the kids are particularily aggitated in the night. It ALWAYS calms them down and will always, always have a special place in my heart.
• Angelina at the Palace by Katherine Holabird, Helen Craig - The way Renee says "An-ga-yina" is cute enough that I almost want to have another baby girl just so I can name her Angelina. A great little girl book.

 I'm looking for book suggestions, what are your kids' favorite books?

the pioneer woman and marlboro man

My sister and her friend Stacy went to the Mall of America to meet the Pioneer Woman (and Marlboro Man and the boys - bonus!) They waited for what I've gathered was a long time to meet her which I can totally see because I imagine Ree can talk. And talk. And talk. I'm holding out hope that the cookbook she's signing is for me (hi sister, Christmas IS coming up :) Anyways, here's a couple of pictures - I wish I could have gone along ladies!!!

questions answered, part 1

The random number generator from 1 to 13 picked number 9 so Kim wins! She had good odds :).

Where do you shop for your kid's clothes (they are always so cute)?
I looooooove to shop, much to my husband's dismay. I am a bargain shopper and NEVER pay full price for anything. My kid's clothes are pretty much all from a few places: Etsy, Gap, Hanna Andersson (hanna pjs are the only way to go), Tea Collection (I have a soft spot for Tea and you can get their Daily Tea lines really cheap if you shop the sales), Old Navy and Target.

What is your favorite decoration on your Christmas tree?
Ski and I spend hours going through our ornaments when we put up our tree because we can remember getting most of them as kids. I'm drawing a blank on my favorite one, I think probably the Bible I handpainted when I was a teenager. I can remember doing it with the neighbor lady and it's so heavy that it never stays on right.

What store do you visit the most (not including any grocery store)?
In person, Target. I think I go to Target 3-4 times a week. Online, probably Gap.

Tell me an work story about my dorky brother (FatJ):
This is a brilliant question. I worked with Anne's brother (Kim's husband) at two different jobs. When we started working at my current job, there was this guy working here whose life read a lot like a soap opera. A really over-the-top soap opera. We called him The Mumbler because he mumbled play-by-plays while he was writing code. In the year that the three of us worked together, he got married to a seriously white trash girl who had like eight kids with eight different men, had a baby with her (that was probably not actually his), got his car stolen (more than once), his apartment broken into. You name it, it happened. The daily fights between The Mumbler and Brandi, The Crazy, made for some of the most hilarious working moments of my career. They would scream and swear and hang up on each other daily and Tom and I would narrate the girl's side of the call over IM. I would bite my tongue for hours trying to not laugh out loud at work. Then there was this one time that Tom, Kim and I went on a field trip to Soup-town because we just had to see where The Mumbler lived. Good times.

Would you hang a gong in your living room?
I guess I probably would if I had a reason to own a gong. I guess I probably do and that reason is my insane husband. If he wanted one, I'd probably let it slide.

Do you think this is cool for a 14 month old?
We happen to have that very toy and neither of my kids have used a trike of any sort yet. Renee isn't interested and I think Cam is still a bit too little. I think someday it will be cool though :)

What do you think Cameron and Renee will be when they grow up...chef, WWF?
I can't even begin to guess on this without laughing because right now Renee would be best suited for a role in the latest Television Drama involving someone bitching and moaning and whining about EVERYTHING and Cam would be an electrician because HOLY SHIT THAT KID IS OBSESSED WITH WIRES.

I'd like to know how your husband proposed? My husband proposed on my 25th birthday. We went out to dinner, he hit his knee in the living room right when we got home and blurted out "Marry me?" I've never seen him so nervous and awkward. I actually laughed at him and then for a minute I thought he was joking because I had been waiting for a while. Then I said yes :)

Where did you go to college and what is your degree in?
I went to a small-ish private Catholic school called the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. I doubled majored in English and Computer Science (because I couldn't make up my mind) and never actually finished the English degree. I think I have like five credits left or something but honestly, what would I do with that degree anyways?

If you could go back in time...just once...and change or relive something...what would it be and why? This question is hard. The obvious answers are my wedding day and when my kids were born, especially when Renee was born. I was so scared something was going to be wrong with her when she came out that I think my brain sort of shut off. I don't remember much of it. The one moment I would like to relive with a slightly different result is when I told my mom that we had named Renee after her. She got teary eyed and before I could get any explanation out of my mouth about how wonderful of a mom she has been to me, the nurse came in to change my dressings and kicked out my mom out. I was pissed. I would like to have that moment back...without the nurse.

If you could do something other than be a programmer, what would you do?
This is tough because there are a lot of things I'd like to do. The most realistic option being that I'd like to teach programming at the college level. I'd love to be a Chef (minus the long hours), a Party Planner (that actually makes money), or an interior decorator (after some training). I'd really love to spend a spring working in a greenhouse learning about plants and gardening. I hope to someday do that after I retire. In like eighty years.

Where else would be your ideal place to live? Let's just pretend that your extended family would also be moving there, so you wouldn't have to worry about being so far away from them.
Two words: SOMEWHERE WARM. Please, please, please, get me out of this winter crap. Someday, PLEASE?

What was your favorite subject/class in high school and why? Was it the teacher, or the other people in the class, or did it just come naturally to you?
Math was always the easiest subject for me but I liked English the best because I like to write. The trouble is that I suck at reading comprehension. I know some people that can read something once and totally remember everything from it but my brain doesn't work that way. I have to try hard to comprehend things. Like, if I read a photography book, I have to read it 10 times before it starts to sink in. It's VERY frustrating. I always scored the lowest on reading comprehension on those standardized tests in school and I am still that way to this day.

How do you find time to write such personal posts, complete with beautiful photos, all while working and raising two little ones so close in age (all while keeping a semblance of your sanity?) This comment totally made my day so thanks Kourtney! The writing comes naturally to me. I write posts in my head while I'm driving or working and then I slap it down fast without caring much about the proper tense and grammar before I go to bed at night. I spend a lot of time taking and putzing with pictures because it is my hobby and one of the only things that I actually enjoy doing. Me keeping a semblance of my sanity? Umm yeah, you should probably talk to my husband about this. I'm actually a raging lunatic :)

Tell me about something you've done that was so silly or stupid that you laughed until you cried. It can be with someone else, but I would prefer it was just you...alone. Tonight Renee was picking her nose and I took her 'big boog' off her finger and put it in the garbage and she laid down on the floor kicking and screaming and crying because she wanted her 'big booger' back. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself. There I was sitting there arguing with a two year old about why she can't take her 'big boog' out of the garbage.

Do you like d-town? Where did you guys grow up? We do like d-town. I wish someone in either of our families lived closer though. It has been really hard to have little kids with everyone so spread out. I grew up in the I. Falls, the Icebox of the Nation (GO BRONCOS!) and my hubby grew up in Moon Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA.

Thanks for the questions!!!!

another fascinating post brought to you by yours truly

I'm going to get the computer room cleaned up enough to sit there and look at pictures. Today. Or maybe tomorrow.  Surely by Cameron's birthday party on Saturday. Perhaps then I'll have something to post. I find these moderately entertaining because I can sort of guess what kind of person you are by what you like to watch. And eat.

THREE NAMES I GO BY
1. Mama
2. Beandawg
3. Beaner

THREE JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE
1. Lifeguard
2. Chemistry stockroom attendant
3. Software engineer

THREE PLACES I HAVE LIVED
1. International Falls, MN
2. St. Paul, MN
3. Duluth, MN
(boy am I adverturous or what?)

THREE TV SHOWS THAT I WATCH
1. Project Runway
2. Top Chef
3. Dora the Exploder Explorer

THREE PLACES I HAVE BEEN
1. Paris, France
2. St. Maarten
3. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO
1. Hawaii
2. New Zealand
3. Wine Country

THREE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1. Guacamole
2. Pizza
3. Chocolate

THREE THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO
1. Cameron's first birthday
2. Being done painting our house
3. Vacation

THREE ANIMALS WHO I HAVE BEEN FRIENDS WITH
1. Zeke
2. Simon
3. Sasha

THREE THINGS I AM REALLY SCARED OF
1. Snakes
2. Leaving my kids with no mother
3. Something bad happening to my kids

THREE FAVORITE BOOKS
1. The Harry Potter series
2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
3. The Baby Whisperer

THREE FAVORITE BANDS/SINGERS
1. Wilco
2. Neko Case
3. Elliott Smith

THREE FAVORITE MOVIES
1. Dogma
2. The Big Lebowski
3. High Fidelity

THREE FAVORITE DRINKS
1. Wine
2. Diet Coke
3. Bell's Two Hearted Ale

THREE THINGS I FIND MOST ATTRACTIVE IN A GUY
1. Patience
2. Sense of Humor
3. Eyes

THREE THINGS I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT
1. The fam, all of the crazy fam
2. M&Ms
3. My iPhone

party planner

I set sort of unrealistic expectations for my kid's birthday parties when Renee had her first birthday. I think I forgot that someday she was going to turn two and then when she turned two I swore that I wasn't going to go crazy and I was going to keep it low-key. And then I went crazy. 

Then I had another baby and GOOD LORD that is an awful lot of birthday party planning.

But in a good way.

Because I LOVE doing it. I get all of these ideas floating around in my brain and I lay awake at night thinking about it. I scour etsy looking for inspiration, do random googling like "activities for first birthday party" and sit at the computer for hours coordinating the invitations with the thank-you cards with the decorations. I make banners and cakes and personalized stickers. Somedays I think should have been a party planner because it really is one of the few things that I really love.

I'm eye deep in birthday planning right now because my baby? He turns one next week. Sniff, sniff. Me hurting my back has set me back (no pun intended) but I made a vow today to follow through on my plans. My husband can try to talk me into ordering pizzas and buying a cake but I am just not made that way and I would be sad on his first birthday. I want to be happy on his first birthday. But I'm going to be sad because you know, WHERE DID MY BABY GO?

What do you do for birthday parties? Low-key? All out? Just family? Where do you find your inspiration?

Here's a peek of Cam's 1st birthday - the invitation, which I ordered from annoncingyou on etsy:
 

tft: grocery budget directly to garbage can

I've fallen into a trap I swore I wouldn't fall into: I cook three meals almost every night.

One for Cameron, one for Renee and one for us.

Cameron's is because he is Mr. Sensitive and I can't give him dairy or really anything at all without him flipping out and being awake all night trying to fart. I'm fine with making him something because he sleeps if I keep to what works and that sleep is worth anything to me.

I know it is a bad idea to make something special for Renee and I know that is one of the reasons why I'm a raging lunatic but I don't know what to do about it. She doesn't eat much of anything and what she will eat, I will not eat. Well, I would but then the 20 pounds I would have to lose would turn to 30 and Lord knows the 20 is going to be hard enough to lose.

When I find the energy to care enough to try to lose it.

But that day is not today and probably not tomorrow either.

I don't care.

I guarantee we throw away at least half of the food we buy each month and I am SICK OF IT.

Tell me, what do your kids eat? What sort of portions? Do you really starve them until they eat last night's broccoli? Or is that one of those things the hardasses say they do because it makes them feel powerful when in reality they are suckers just like me? Do you put a fruit, vegetable, protein, carb and dairy on every plate for every meal and do they ever eat it?

I obsess about balancing their meals and it is making me crazy. And poor. Because I throw it all away.

1: already not according to plan

I've been planning on doing NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) for a while. You know, where I try to come up with something entertaining to say for thirty days in a row? Yeah that one. I'd find you a link about it but that is too much work right now. I had a plan for today's post. And tomorrow's.

Then I went to pick up a laundry basket this morning and I felt a pop and the spreading of some seriously burning pain and my back is in SHAMBLES. I am TWENTY-NINE YEARS OLD and I can't walk. Why is this happening to me?

A trip to the ER where I cried every time I tried to move and a few Loritabs (is that how you spell it?) later and I'm still barely functioning. And coming up with something witty and entertaining is sort of outside of my very incoherent brain.

I reckon I'll have a few days to come up with something good though. Perfectly good vacation days that will be spent chewing painkillers in my bed trying to work up the courage and strength to take a shower. 

Have I mentioned I am TWENTY-NINE YEARS OLD? I can only say that for another couple of months and you bet your ass I'm going to say it a lot. People in their twenties should not hurt their backs.

Thanks Mom and Dad for bailing me out. You should have heard how hard I started crying the minute I heard my mom's voice. There is just something about needing your Mommy when you're hurt and I'm so lucky mine always comes running when I need her. So incredibly lucky. 

i'm thinking that they're going as bubbles for halloween

I spent the last week freaking out that Cameron had The Swine Flu. Some dude I work with's kid had The Swine Flu and on the day I found out about that daycare called and my kid started a five day run of 103 temps. I know it's called H1N1. I don't know why they changed the name, I liked The Swine Flu better. I don't care if it wasn't "technically" correct. Anyways then the rash started yesterday and I kicked myself in the head for freaking out about The Swine Flu because Roseola never crossed my mind and Renee was the EXACT same age when she had the EXACT same thing happen to her.

My goal was this weekend for having Halloween costumes purchased and/or assembled and I'm totally blaming The Swine Flu for my failure to meet that goal. The only idea I could come up with over the weekend was The Bubble I want to float around each of us for the winter.

I'd sort of like for them to come as a pair because I'm a cheeseball and know that next year she'll want to be something obnoxious like, well, DORA. She still doesn't really GET Halloween. I only have two ideas so far.

• Dora and Boots
• Chewbacca and Yoda

What are your kids going as for Halloween? Do you have any ideas for me?

Boo at the Zoo is next weekend, I have to hurry.

the 'playground'

This is just one of the [many] reasons we are so lucky.

The only real downside to us moving was losing our playground two blocks down the road. Renee missed it. She talked about it all of the time and was never satisfied when we took her to the playgrounds in our new neighborhood.

She sat by the window ALL afternoon watching the man put the 'playground' together. She kept saying, "I want to go see him. I want to go play on it." After many hours of waiting I took her outside. She looked at it shyly with this little grin that clearly said "Can you even believe this shit?"

Then she ran over and tried EVERY SINGLE gadget on the thing. I won't easily forget the wonder in her eyes. So innocent and pure and just plain excited.
 
 
 
 
And you can see in Cam's ten month post that he loved it too. Spoiled? Lucky, I think.