{because you're probably smarter than me}

awww...

baby's first mohawk

my child has 4 teeth, all on bottom, all at the same time. fer funsies! and he got 2 shots today, and he has a booger nose. the aforementioned booger nose equals up to a violent struggle with mr. bulb sucker about 3 times a day. for an infant who's major technical skills include mass pooping and drool production 101, he sure puts up a wicked fight. in spite all that junk he's still about 80% pleasant and 120% yummy. i'm lucky. he's an absolute gem, a chubby, mooshy gem. homeboy clocked in at 20 lbs 10 oz today. goodness i love me my fat baby!

people, i have been working on this dumb post for the past two hours. i can't seem to make it through the first paragraph. what is my deal? i am devoid of any useable content other than waxing gooey about my nublet and trust me, i could do that for days. i'll spare you and save it for a rainy one. you're welcome.

here's a topic i do want to broach: remember all of my fluff talk about needing a budget and cutting back on spending and maybe, possibly needing to end the twice daily trips to the holy land {target}? yes, mmmm hmmm? well, game time party people. i deem 2009 the great budget implementation/we can do it/ get out of debt/ time to get a grip trip. change, it is a coming folks. i am for serious this time and for lack of a better excuse, because i have to.

you know what's amazing? once you start to be aware of how you spend your money, you realize pretty quick where it all goes and how much you can do without. not gonna lie, major light bulb moment for me right there. too bad everyone else had that same light bulb moment a long time before i did.

here's a truth for you: i haven't majorly grocery shopped in almost 3 weeks thanks to my freezer full of meat and stuff and my pantry full of everything else. oh, and the connie who lets me grocery shop in her food storage wonderland for everything inbetween. i love my mom, i really really love my mom. i really love my dad too. basically if i were the tattooing type i would ink their names on my arm and wear sleeveless shirts everywhere so that everyone would know that I LOVE MY MOM AND DAD. but i'm not so i'm just going to tell the internets instead. maybe i'll make the hub get another tattoo instead since he already has three other ones {chalk it up to youthful lack of brain function} he could use an awesome tattoo like that to redeem the other three from total lameness. what? yes i just said that. sorry hubby dear, it is the truth. but not like you don't know that already. love you!

lest we forget the in-laws, i adore them too. no really, i won the in-law lottery in so many more ways than one. twice in the past two weeks i've raided their fridge to satisfy my rumbling tummy. i can always count on them for pringles and diet coke. mmmm... pringles, mmmm... diet coke.

i'm getting off base here.

back to the point, it pays to pay attention.

i will close on this, have you guys discovered kid to kid? i've been there a few times with my sil, but just barely internalized what a gold mine that place is. i scored a whole butt load of practically new stuff for the nub, but not before i sold a few gently used things of my own. i'll be honest, the return on that end is not so great but it sure beats nothing at all. the one in my town is brand new and pretty nice. plus it doesn't have that gross "other people's stuff" smell like some other consignment shops i know, and i hope it never does. i have problems with scent associations.

i'm a little bit more than curious about your money saving tips and ideas. do you use budgeting software? if so what kind and how complicated is it? how do you allot your monthly budget? what is a "doable" savings goal for you, meaning how much money do you actually set aside for savings each month? where do you find the best grocery bargains? are you a wal-greens or rite-aid specialist and if so how did you get started? what blogs and/ or sites am i missing out on that talk about this stuff? do you coupon? do you buy in bulk? what about menu planning, what's your strategy?

where do i even begin?

please,

do share.

and three hours later this post is finally finished.

**just an afterthought, if you'd rather email me than talk about that kind of stuff on here...please do. i am in need of your expertise.

many thanks

kallikverb@gmail.com

and also, maybe i will collect everyone's ideas and do a follow-up post so that we all can partake in the money saving genius of our peers.

{ask design mom}

design mom

you know her

you love her

if you don't know her {like me}

you wish you did {like me}

anywhat, she's got this "ask design mom" week going on where basically you can ask her anything about anything. so go, ask away and get your deepest, darkest, design and style related questions out of the way.

oh, and maybe enter to win one of her legendary giveaways while you're at it.

sheesh.

{let the wild rumpus begin}

this makes me excited

{one time i had a baby}

heeeeeyyyyyy

remember that one time i had a baby?

yeah?

well you can read about it, again

on Belly to Born

a new site dedicated to sharing delivery tales and such

if labor and birthing and that kind of stuff fascinates you like it does me, then check it out. if you've done the birth thing yourself, then maybe submit your own story. all are welcome. the epidural lovers, the water birthers, the reluctant pushers, the pukers, the super women, the c-sectioners, e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e.

rookie's on there, she's cool. i'm on there. i'm cool.

even if you don't have a baby {yet} but you're planning to eventually or maybe are workin' on one {mmmm-hmmmm} right now! take a looksie for a few different perspectives. might give you an idea of the direction you want to take when that birf-day comes.

{i confess}

i pretty much want to see the hannah montana {it's miley!} movie

i don't know why so don't ask


but i can't go alone now can i?

do you want to go with me?

or lend me your 9-11 year old daughter for a few hours?
{uh, that sounds weird}

laura?

anyone?

geez...

{today}

low point: finally attempting the gym after 2 weeks off only to be informed that my membership has been canceled and do i want to go ahead and sign back up? uh not right now you spandex slinging, contract pushing bar code nazis. you can kiss it today. i'm going home to a nice pair of sweatpants and a shower, maybe if you're lucky i'll think about it tomorrow, but probably not.

high point: chocolate chip cookies, i've had 3 already, possibly 4.

low point: the giant burrito i fixed myself for lunch

high point: the giant burrito i fixed myself for lunch

low point: chocolate chip cookies + giant burrito = heartburn

high point: heartburn + tums= why yes, i will have another cookie thank you

low point: 4 teeth at the same time = screaming nub at 3 am

high point: baby boys are quite snuggly with their mamas at 3 am

low point: 3 am makes mama tiiiiired

high point: hub lets mama sleep in until nub is ready to go down for am nap. is nice.

in review

burritos good, chocolate chip cookies good, baby nub good, sleeping in good, tums good, teething bad, 3 am bad, tired mama bad, heartburn bad, golds gym BAD.

today?

the good was better than the bad. chocolate chip cookies have a way of swaying the census.

what about you?

{i'm baaa-aaack}

i was all ready to paint you a beautiful metaphor about how complicated and exhausting the last few weeks have been for me, but yeah... i'm over it. besides, i've had enough complicated metaphors to last me a lifetime.

this is what i've got

life is super sucky sometimes. it is. sometimes it is so sucky the idea of spending the rest of your days on the couch wearing grease stained sweatpants and possibly an adult diaper {to eliminate the need to ever get off the couch again}, starts to sound mildly appealing. but then your baby squawks, your mom calls, the doorbell rings, the dog needs let out, you snap back to reality and that mildly disturbing idea flies right out the window.

i may be sitting on the couch in sweatpants, but at least they don't have {many} grease stains and i'm even entertaining the idea of a shower. progress!!

my nub? he's the best part of my day. the kid has 1 tooth up and 3 others breaking way. nippie biting has commenced, bless his vampire heart and my poor chesticles. speaking of vampires... hub may or may not have asked me to rent "twilight" for his viewing pleasure. i did, and it was duly awful. you know what else is awful? australia. strangle me with the strings from nicole kidman's girdle. thanks for nothing blockbuster.

the bright spots? sleepovers with my mom {who had a birthday!}, daily phonecalls with my dad, my wise and wonderful in-laws, my stoopid, my son, my healthy little family, new prospects, new adventures, new resolve.

i believe president thomas s. monson said it best:

"there is a guiding hand above all things"


so it is for me

amen and amen

you know what's not sucky?

his royal cuteness
can you see the teeth on the bottom?
they're sort of transluscent
and SHARP

{until then}

i'll be off the radar for a while

no need to worry

just need some time off from the internets

xo

k

{Cjane: Patron Saint of the Bloggernacle}

feliz navidad
to the holy mother of the bloggernacle

may your skirts be pink
your wings be glittery
and your halo extra glowey

watch over us as we blog ourselves into a frothy oblivion
in this the year of our Lord
two thousand and nine
hear our prayer

bendiga el cjane del santo
{i sure hope that translates correctly}

your loyal pilgrim{s},

kalli {moi}, azucar {the puppetmaster}, cdub, la yen {the mastermind}, phread, suedonym, and b.
hint hint: to find out more click on any of the lovely lady links above

{yogging, you should try it sometime}

does this not look like i am wearing a swimsuit made out of a baby?
or maybe it's a baby/swimsuit/unitard all in one eh?
either way
hilar

we purchased a new yog stroller last week. not that i plan on doing a whole lot of yogging ,{i am not a natural born yogger} but even just for walks a yog stroller is necessary in my town seeing as how they do a terrible job of maintaining the streets. last summer during the great gestation period of '08 {and for several months following}, the streets were all torn up making way for a new water line or some crap like that. except that there was no rhyme nor reason to how they tore those puppies up, it was just willy nilly, gaping holes, fresh gravel and backhoes EVERYWHERE. it was like walking through a war zone i suwannee. nothing like playing chicken with an asphalt truck to keep things interesting. my lovely baby stroller purchased brand new in september now has a squeak resembling a dog whistle or bat scream or SOMETHING and a few other hitches as a result of all the off roading. me no happy about that.

so, armed with a few handy dandy coupons, i picked myself up an all terrain {read:big tires} yogger for me and the nub to enjoy. i've been stuck in the house for too long. i decided today was the day to break it in and off we went on our usual route up to the templo. the nub bundled warm in his bear suit {which barely fits anymore} and me without ear warmers {what was i thinking??}. it was all fun and games until we hit the top of the hill and hellooo arctic wind! that snowstorm the dumb channel 5 weather dork was yapping about seemed to be revving up for take-off. i made a quick u turn and decided speed was of the essence so down the hill a running i did go. i thought, man i'm doing good here, look at my speed! this isn't even hard! maybe i'll run the whole way home! then i hit the bottom of the hill and not so much. plus my front wheel wasn't functioning right and kept having seizures mid stride. i was worried about my poor child becoming a nubsicle so i just locked the wheel in place and kept up with my half yog/half speed walk method home. it worked, and we made it in near record time. after i pulled the poor kid out of all of his swaddling i found he was quite warm and the worry was all for naught.

let me tell you something... yogging in a pre-blizzard is not for the faint of heart. i need to go defrost my ears now.

does anyone else have a craving for a giant shamrock shaped sugar cookie?

no?

just me?

fine.

{like sand through the hourglass}

SO

are the days of our lives...

uh, i never really realized how depressing that phrase is until i just typed it out. i gave a lot of my time to that show in high school. time i'll never get back now. thanks a lot sammy and austin.

speaking of wasted time, i am sooo over the blog jacker. i feel kind of bad about embarrassing her so publicly, but man, someone needed to stop the cycle. it was a blog jacking intervention! {i'm picturing those sharks on finding nemo, INTERVENTION!} it is flattering that someone thinks your posts are great enough to steal them, but at the same time that post was pretty dumb so i'm not all that flattered after all.

you want to know about my day? okay fine. it was tony the tiger grrrreeeeeeaat! firstly, i woke up at 6:30 am and as my compulsions direct me to do, went in and checked on my son for the three trillionth time. guess what? he was fine, and awake, a huge "i love mama" grin spread across his num num cheeks. so up we were, an hour earlier than normal. he ate, we bid our brave husband/dada {and gus} good bye as they left for work. i showered and fixed the hairs on my head. dinner got put in the crock pot, the vacuum was run, the kitchen even got cleaned! my connie came over, stoopid and sweetcheeks joined us and off we went to the ikea!

ikea. that place is like disneyland for the adhd crowd. i mean everywhere you turn there's something new to look at, something different to try out. a new bedspread? why not?! it's only $39.99. it was a virgin voyage for the connie and stoopid. they marveled, we loaded down the stroller with doo-dads, searched desperately for a bathroom {why are they only at the beginning and the end?}, and finally made it out of there no worse for the wear and significantly more full of swedish goods than when we came. to rio post haste, pork salads all around and then home at last.

and now? i'm nodding off on the couch so i think it my civil duty to nap when my baby naps.

so peace out homies. see you on the flip side.

{i wish that i could bake a cake out of rainbows and smiles}

today was entertaining

well the last half of it anyway

mostly because i got an email from a lovely young thing named allison cuing me in to the fact that MLAK has been compromised. that's right. i'm talking post jacking, also known as unoriginality, also known as "i ran out of ideas", also known as plagiarism.

exhibit A:
her post, dated February 18th, 2009 {* never mind, she's taken things private}

exhibit B:
my post, dated February 8th, 2009, 10 days earlier

same title, same picture, same text minus the whole "crap" part.

coincidence? I THINK NOT.

i mean, i know what it is to love cadbury mini eggs, but to love them so much you can't even express it in your own words thereby forcing you to use the words of another? that's true devotion right there.

this all got started after allison's friend heather noticed another one of this blogger's posts looked oddly familiar and realized that cjane had fallen victim to post jacking {you can read all about that here and here}. further sleuthing revealed that this blogger is indeed a repeat offender in the post jacking category. hey, i'm all for borrowing ideas from others, there's a lot of inspiration to be had in the blogosphere, but please lady, give credit where credit is due. and if you're going to steal a post at least pick one that doesn't use the words "screwed" and "crap" as major descriptive points.


my thoughts are best summed up by the always wise gretchen weiners:
{connie, please cover your ears for the first 30 seconds}

post jacking is laaaaame!

***WHELP, looks like she took her post-jacking hobbies private so no more lookie lookie. for the record there were at least 3 stolen /eerily similar posts from 3 different bloggers found on her blog. cuh-razay!

{baaaaaasically...}

"basically" is basically my new favorite word. i feel like it covers so much while at the same time nothing at all. a perfect metaphor for me.

onto the meat of this

basically we had the greatest weekend ever, and not a moment too soon. friday evening hub, the nub, gus and i loaded up and high tailed it out of happy valley down to the refuge that is casa de connie {let's not forget my dad, it's his casa too}. you would have thought we were moving in with how much junk we took. packing for babies is hard, you feel me? combine that with my natural tendency to over prepare and things do not add up to simple. i'm not even sure that sentence made sense. my point is that babies come with a lot of baggage. and so do their mothers.

mom cooked, we ate, dad sat in his chair, we played with the baby, ventured to manti for our favorite little ice cream stop, found a new favorite store {more on this later} watched some basketball, hit up wal-mart {hi light!}, had a bonfire, went to church, did nothing.

it was perfect.

the best

a bonus? i somehow swindled my mom into letting me take home my great grandmother's vintage red shoes. these suckers are like 50 years old and even better in real life. legit VINTAGE people. good thing me and vena share the same shoe size.

see for yourself

vintage red shoes were the frosting on my cake

best.weekend.ever.




basically