I. Cannot. Wait.

In theaters October 16, 2009.

Longing for a simpler time…and bubble wrap.

Kaitlyn went roller skating today with her daycare class. This week is spring break for her school so she’s at daycare all day, which is fun for her because they have special activities planned all week. Today was roller skating. Tomorrow—bungee jumping! Woo hoo! (Just kidding there folks.) So, she left for school today with her Strawberry Shortcake roller skates and her…bike helmet? Really? Jason insisted that she wear her bike helmet today and I initially thought he was being a bit too “helicopter parent”. Who wears a HELMET rollerskating? Uh, everyone? It’s 2009. Hello? We wear helmets and knee pads and elbow pads for everything now. I never had a bike helmet, let alone knee pads or elbow pads. If I did, I certainly didn’t wear them. Please, I’d look stupid, Mom! Think back to when you were a kid, did you wear a bike helmet? Knee/elbow pads? Sunscreen!? Wow. I miss the 80s.

I miss being able to play outside all day and night only to come home when it got dark or when the street lights came on. I miss Kool-Aid stains and snow cones. I remember spending summer days outside, in the DIRT, building forts with my neighbors and sister. I remember running under the clown sprinkler with the hat that rose higher and higher with the water pressure.

I remember the Slip-N-Slide that didn’t have that inflatable dam at the end of it so you would stop. I especially remember swimming all day long and not worrying about sunscreen or staying out of the sun between 10 and 2. I remember laying out on the grass listening to Cyndi Lauper on my boombox and working on my tan (that reminds me, I better get that mole checked… ha).

Now, it’s all about being safe. Slather on the sunscreen, load up with the bike helmet and the necessary appendage padding, and gingerly ride down to the end of the street but only to the end of the street because that’s as far as my GPS locator will go (just kidding on that one). I’ve said many times before that if I could make a suit out of bubble wrap for my kids, I would totally do it. And it would be pink. I am all for staying safe and Lord knows the world is just not as safe as it used to be. I almost always take the safe route with them—checking their sunscreen coverage, making sure their Halloween candy isn’t spiked with nails, etc. You know, the usual stuff. But it would be nice to just be carefree and hit the beach all day, ride bikes as fast as you can, stay out til the street lights went on, and drink full-sugar Kool-Aid and eat Twinkies. Sigh.

Under Construction...(again)

I am working on a new template design. Please be patient. It's a mess.... :(

UPDATE: What do you think? :) Yes? No?

Progress Report….or Lack Thereof

So, it’s March 16^th. Spring is just about here which means summer is not too far behind. While that means our days are getting longer, the tulips are blooming (my fave flower), the temps are getting warmer…it also means warm hot humid weather, tank tops, shorts, and the dreaded bathing suit season. I had high hopes of not having these worries this summer but alas, here I am. And, you know what, I have no one or nothing to blame this on but myself. I have sucked in the getting fit and losing weight department. I’ve been nothing short of a monumental failure when it comes to sticking with this and it’s kind of freaking me out as to why. I mean, you’ve read my blog, I am really good at laying out what I need to do, what I need to change, etc. Yet, actually doing it is a whole other thing entirely and I entirely suck at it.

I don’t know why I am writing this—this may just make you all second guess why you read my blog—it certainly isn’t for inspiration that’s for sure. I am not giving up. You don’t gain anything good by quitting. I’ll never surrender to this fight. I will have to suffer through another hot summer and just suck it up when it comes time to wearing summer clothes or going to the pool. I refuse to sit on the sidelines and have my kids look back and wonder why I didn’t always go swimming with them or didn’t feel as excited that summer was here. Especially swimming since there are few places on earth where I would like to be more. I love swimming. That’s why we built where we did—it had a pool at the end of our street. A lovely pool.

Dammit.

Today is the first 60 degree day in Minnesota of 2009. I am going for a walk around the neighborhood after work. And then tomorrow I will head to the gym. And then again on Wednesday morning followed by another walk. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again until it becomes a habit and for the rest of my life. If you know me in real life and/or work with me, call me out when you see me not following my plan or having a suspicious meal, drink, etc. Say it in code, like “Looks like a good day for a swim, huh?” :) I’d do it for you.

Gold Rush!

Ooh, Internet, have I got a deal for you. Have you seen the ads about selling your gold for cash? Since the price of gold has skyrocketed, the demand for gold has risen, so much so that these businesses have been sprouting up offering to give you cash for your gold. I saw the commercials and the ads and even the news stories about selling your jewelry for cash. I’ve even heard about parties thrown at your home where you and your girlfriends gather up your old gold jewelry and a sales rep comes to your house and gives you cash for your gold jewelry. Sure, I thought. Didn’t really think much of it. Until today.

J saw an ad for The Gold Guys, a store in the Mall of America, advertising the best prices for your gold. So, we went tonight. We both had gold chains that we haven’t worn in 10 years or so. We figured we would give it a try, maybe we would get $10 or something. Ha, try $200! Yes, we got $200 for our 2 gold chains. Holy cow. Jason and I looked at each other, our mouths gaping open with shock, and just started giggling. Shane, the owner, said that people bring in their old gold jewelry, old gold crowns, whatever they have and then he tests them, weighs them, and calculates the amount and writes out a check. They then take all of the gold to their refinery and melt it down. They don’t resell it. I was suspicious of the check part, but he said they are required to write checks and photocopy your ID so that if anyone comes in and tries to sell stolen items, they will have a record of who was in, etc.

So, if you live in the Twin Cities area and have some gold you don’t wear anymore, let me know and I’ll give you the information. If you don’t live here, check your local area for gold buyers or jewelers. Check that they are legitimate, etc. Could you use an extra $200?…

Consider it a public service announcement. :)

Do as I Say (Not as I Do)

Kaitlyn is at the age where she is starting to point out the inconsistencies in life. Oh Joy. She readily points out how unfair it is that I can drink my Diet Coke while sitting on the couch yet she isn’t allowed to drink her water/milk/ on the couch. She likes to point out that I tell her it’s not okay to say bad words like the “S” word (Shut-up!) yet she’s heard me say it on occasion. Or, my all time favorite, she likes to point out that I tell her that she needs to eat healthy foods like veggies and fruits and milk, yet there I go scarfing down another piece of pizza—with no veggies or fruit in sight. Nice.

So, ya, I am guilty of not always setting a good example for them on things. I try, honestly, I do. I readily admit that I need to work on being more patient and eating more fruits and veggies, but I really don’t need a 5 year old acting like the food police or Miss Manners and calling me out every time I slip up. I have my husband to do that for me (love ya J!). But, what is more disturbing to me is that she’s learning that sometimes people don’t do what they say you should do and that sometimes life is just not fair or worse, life is kind of cruel.

Yes, I know, it’s the real world. I get it. But, don’t you want to teach them all of the basic functions of society first before they realize that they are rarely ever followed? I would like her to believe, even if for a little while, that when someone tells you that something should be done a certain way, they will in fact do it that way, too. Or, everyone gets a fair shake at opportunities, not just a lucky few. Stuff like that. She’ll have plenty more opportunities to learn about disappointments in life, like not getting invited to a birthday party, or not getting a Snuggie! I want her to know that even though you may be disappointed in something or someone, there is usually something or someone right around the corner who will surprise you and enlighten you with their kindness or generosity.

So, you take the good with the bad. I think she kind of gets it. Unless we’re talking about why we won’t get her a Nintendo DS and well, we’re just cruel and mean parents for that. Heck, even I haven’t learned that you can't always have everything you want (see Wii, iPhone, a million dollars…). Some things are harder to understand than others. ;)

We have a WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday and left comments, started to follow my blog, and followed me on Twitter. I really appreciate it! So, let’s get down to it…

The winner of the yummy cupcake earrings and necklace is…

Shalee from Sometimes It’s Good To Be Speechless!

Congratulations!!!

As for the other SITS giveaways… I sure hope I win something. Actually, I really, really, really hope I win a Snuggie! Ha!

Also, please stop by Mel’s site on Etsy. She really has some lovely pieces for sale and she’s been super nice about letting me feature her products! Thanks, Mel.

Okay, have a nice Wednesday everyone!

Delicious cupcakes, no calories: The SITS Spring Fling Giveaway!

Today is the SITS Spring Fling! You should go over there and visit and see what they are giving away. I love these blogathon days that SITS hosts, they are so much fun and I get tons of traffic to my site and find some really cool blogs to add to my reading list. This one is different because the smart ladies at SITS want us to host giveaways too! Awesome.

So, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to give away. Obviously, it had to have cupcakes on it! Naturally.

I knew exactly where I wanted to go: Etsy. If you haven’t been to Etsy, oh are you missing out. Etsy is one stop shopping for all things homemade. It’s amazing what people can create. Truly, go here first before you go anywhere else when you are looking for that special present. You won’t be disappointed. :)

So, here we go. I stumbled across this shop on Etsy: Tinys. Tinys is a shop with really cute handmade jewelry. Mel, the “owner”, lives in Australia and made all of these cute pieces herself. So, here’s what I chose to giveaway:

Item #1: Purple Cupcake Earrings

These are the cutest little purple cupcake earrings!! I love them. Here’s the description from they Etsy shop:

Two delectable cupcake earrings made out of polymer clay with vanilla frosting, and sprinkles. It measures approximately 1.5cm in height and has a glossy finish.

I think they are lovely. :) In fact, I am ordering a pair for Kaitlyn (shhh, don’t tell her!).

Item #2: Cupcake Necklace

Okay, how cute is this? I think any little girl would love this (or even their mom!). Here’s the description from the site:

Too cute! A delicious strawberry cupcake made out of polymer clay. This is one of my favorite pieces! It looks absolutely adorable and delightful worn! It measures 43cm in length, strung on a silver chain. The cupcake measures approximately 2cm in height.

So, there you go. All you have to do to enter is LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST!

For extra entries: Follow Me here (1 more entry) and Follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/suzi_m) (1 more entry)

Simple, huh? I’ll pick a number using Random.org and whatever number that is picked wins the giveaway. So, the more comments you leave, the more chances you have. :)

Happy Commenting everyone and Good Luck!

Update: comments closed! Check back tomorrow for the winner.

The fine print
Since it is being shipped from Australia, it may delay the delivery for up to 3 weeks. I can’t control how long it takes, but I will place the order immediately after the winner is notified and I receive your shipping information. I will have all items shipped to me first and then I will ship it to you via First Class Mail. :)

My First Giveaway!

So, tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10) I will be hosting my very first giveaway. I am taking part in the SITS Spring Fling, which is basically an all day blogathon where they give stuff away every hour and other bloggers can giveaway stuff too. So I am! Obviously, my giveaway will be cupcake-themed and very very cute…

So, stop by tomorrow, leave comments (plural!) and good luck!

Pink dolphins and the quest for a well-behaved daughter… (totally unrelated!)

So, have you seen the picture with the pink dolphin yet?

Apparently, there is this lovely pink dolphin swimming around in a lake in Louisiana. Nothing is wrong with it, it’s just pink. In other words, perfect. It kind of stops you in it’s tracks with it’s beauty, huh? Sigh…

So, we’ve been having all kinds of fun with our 5 year old this week. She’s decided to skip the little girl years and move full into the teenage years. She’s now officially a pain the butt teenager. :) Okay, not really. But, boy howdy is she sure giving us a run for our money in the patience department. If this is payback for me being a bratty kid, then I must have been horrible! (Sorry MOM!)

We’ve had this daily battle with getting Kaitlyn to brush her hair. She refuses to let us brush it and it’s all we can do to get her to do it herself. She has beautiful hair. Honestly. She just would prefer to throw a headband in it and be done with it. Ugh. If there’s one thing that drives me nuts is her looking disheveled. I want her to look neat and well groomed and learn to take pride in her appearance and be clean and orderly. Is that so much to ask of a 5 year old!? Ok, don’t answer that…

So, yesterday, after yet another battle, I made the call to the super fun Kids Hair for a haircut. I am over the beautiful long, flowing locks of my childhood dreams. Nope. It’s all about neatness. She now sports a lovely bob-like style which makes her look older, sadly. But, it’s neat, will be easy for her to brush and will be drama free for us!

I know it’s not the world’s most dramatic issue, but it sure does suck to have the same battle every. single. day.

So, one down, one more to go. Chloe’s hair will be the death of me. It’s a tangled web of curls. At least she’s patient enough to let me comb through it with detangler.

Oh well, it’s all about raising little girls I guess. Someday I’ll look back and reflect fondly on this. Someday.