Back in the Saddle Again!

I'm too tired to write much but we've been plenty busy around here as usual. Final touches on the tree house and steady progress on the upstairs bathroom have gobbled up the past two weekends. All day yesterday was reserved for celebrating Charles' birthday and celebrate we did. Thanks, as always, to Gma Nina for taking good care of the boys while Mommy and Daddy stepped out last night. I think next year we may have to finally make it happen and head to Churchill Downs for the Derby. Derby Day is a fine day for a Birthday! Check out the new slideshow - Devlyn is a 4-wheeling fool lately and Blake wants in on the action (shocking, I know).

Men in Tree(house)s

Either he can’t hear the damn thing or he’s upstairs getting Blake to settle down I thought to myself. I’d just tried to call Charles at home numerous times on my way back from Marshalls. And then it hit me…he’s in the tree house! Did I mention we have a tree house?!? Thanks to talented, selfless Uncle Shayne (and plenty of Charles’ elbow grease) WE HAVE A TREE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This evening I learned that as sure as Cinderella’s coach turns into a pumpkin at midnight, tree houses magically transform into man-caves at approximately 10pm. And that’s exactly where I found my husband, accompanied by an empty martini glass, chatting boisterously via cell phone with one Mr. Sam Edwards. There simply is no better person to converse with over vodka laced with olive juice from a tree house in your own backyard after 10pm on a Friday. There just isn’t.
I crept up the ladder and overheard, “I’m telling you man, it doesn’t get any better than this.” Glancing up at the stars through the cedar I had to admit, for the most part, he was right. But the two Goodberry’s Heath Bar Specialty sundaes I’d just carried up with me would probably change that. It was indeed about to get better.

Introducing the Yohawk

Blake changed suburban fashion forever this evening by busting out of the mold with the newly coined "Yohawk". Hip, edgy, a little fruity and at the same time, oh so sweet. "How can I achieve this look?" you may ask. Simply end any meal with a small bowl of yogurt and throw in some attitude. Have fun. Get messy with it. With practice, you too can perfect this alt-toddler, rocker-chic coif. Willy nilly wannabes beware - you've got to own it to pull this look off.

Happy Birthday to ME!

As I eagerly await "the other side of 35" (gulp, snort, guffaw) I decided that a special birthday present was in order. Toolsnob.com's glowing review of the Fein Multimaster solidified my notion of it as the holy grail of tools. I promptly placed my order. The UPS man drove away a few minutes ago and I have been staring at the Multimaster ever since. A vision of orange and black, perfectly nestled in its case with attachments galore. Each one shiny, new and labeled accordingly. Since I am home with both kids this afternoon, I will stare a little longer then pack it away for later when I can take the time to savor each little piece, devote my full attention to the instruction manual and let my inner nerd run wild. I can hardly wait. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birrrrthdaaay to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Happy birthday to me!

One, two, three CRY! (and then buy)

Direct TV has changed my life. Coincidentally that is their new advertising tagline and coincidentally that's what this post is all about. I cried three times watching the season premier of "Parenthood" last night (for the record so did Charles) which normally I wouldn't even take notice of - aside from the fact that I've seen 10 bazillion promos for it over the last few weeks. I recently realized that no matter what I'm listening to, watching or Googling lately - I identify strongly with at least 1 out of every 2 advertisements I hear. Procter and Gamble's "Thanks Mom" Olympic ad campaign? Brilliant, poignant - totally had me bawling. Their closing spot, "What's better than being an Olympic athlete?" Cut to shots of Olympian's Moms reacting to their children's individual victories - "Being an Olympic athlete's Mom." I'm crying right now just thinking about it and of course I am - that commercial was designed to make me cry...all the way to Target for more Pampers ; ) I typically have not identified with commercials in this way - not sure why that is but I'm truly enjoying it now that I do. Is the creative talent right now that much better? Has the fact that I know sooooooooo much about the numbers and science behind it all finally worn off? I'm the one usually placing client's commercials where they need to be for maximum demographic impact! Has the fragmentation of media and creation of niche media channels finally collided perfectly with consumers like myself who've fine tuned their media consumption OR is 1 out of every 2 ad dollars actually spent to reach me: woman, 35-54, 2.3 children at home, dual income family / prime demographic CONSUMER extraordinaire? Probably a little bit of both and I, for one, am LOVING it and find it endlessly fascinating!

Radial Head Subluxation

a.k.a Nursemaid's Elbow - in laymans terms "popping your elbow out of joint". Devlyn managed to do this to his left arm today while sitting on the floor next to me. Apparently he moved too quickly and bent his arm backwards??!? The immediate yelping was a bit odd but since he had literally been sitting on the floor I wasn't too worried about it. After 10 minutes of watching him walk around like a gimp refusing to move anything on his left side I figured it was time to run a few amateur Dr. Mom tests. Can you move it? No. Can you squeeze my hand? No. What happens if I do this? Intense screaming follows. Houston, we have a problem. Off to the doctor we went. The nurse practitioner immediately knew what that problem was and popped his elbow back into joint (not enjoyable for anyone involved). She then taught me how to do it in case it ever happens again - ew. Devlyn hopped off the table, took three steps and nearly passed out. They gave him plenty of Motrin and sent us out for x-rays. We're happy to report everything is aok and Devlyn is resting comfortably watching Stuart Little with the use of both his arms! Holy freak episode!

Supersize My Double McTwist 1260 Please

Have you been watching the Winter Olympics as much as I have? SO awesome. I had never even heard of Snowboard Cross - omg - I am in complete and total awe of that and the downhill. If I am unable to be reincarnated as Beyonce - Lindsey Vonn would be just fine thank you very much. And how cool is Shaun White? Redonculously, double mctwisty 1260 cool is how cool. The Flying Tomato RULES! Bring on the figure skating ; )