The Chocolate and The Cheese

First let me come clean.  I'm pregnant. Now, let the next thirty-one weeks commence where I talk of nothing else except my growing belly, appetite and need for Cheetos.  Not really, but I will say this; I'm tired.  So tired that normal everyday tasks that should only take me a few minutes suddenly sit around, unfinished, for days at a time.  Examples?  The dishwasher, the dirty dishes, groceries (the non-perishable ones, duh), folding the laundry, making the bed.  I mean, there are much better things to do, like, stuff handfuls of popcorn in my mouth while watching all the episodes of Angel, in order.  Don't judge me, I am returning to school in a few weeks; maybe this is just me trying desperately to channel myself as a Freshman in college?  Who the heck knows.  What I do know that my "golden time," or nap time as it is commonly called, was once used to clean, cook, tidy up, rest and blog.  Well, you know how much blogging I've done o...

We've had a whirlwind, chaotic, hectic, exciting week.  It was a week of fixes, car naps, quick meals and heat.  Oh, the heat!  I finally feel like today we had the chance to tone things down and take a breath.  The Little Lady and I were left to our devices for the evening while the Mr. took a much deserved night off.  We had a light dinner and then went outside for our favorite pre-bed activity, Bubble Chasing.  (Well, she chases, I blow).  The following conversation ensued. Laying in the grass: MP: Hey LL, look at all those clouds! LL:  Yeah mom, clouds. MP:  What do you see up there?  I see bunny ears! LL:  They just puffy mama. MP: (Humph, this might not work...) LL:  Mama, I see Lady! MP: (Getting excited)  That's great, what's she doing? LL:  Lady in Sky, with Broccoli.  I like Broccoli! MP: Well, yes, it does look like broccoli.  What else do you see? LL:  Poop in a glass.  Ha...

The last forty eight hours have been the kind of serendipitous summer time that I dream about all through January and February.  Perfect temperatures, light wind, sun and a casual, laid-back schedule.  It all started with a lazy afternoon outdoors.  The Little Lady chased bubbles, then we laid out our blankets and read our books.  LL read hers and I read mine.  At one point she looked at me and said, "Your book good mama?"  Seriously, this kid just keeps getting better and better. The next morning we had an impromptu coffee date with some friends.  We sat out on the patio and chatted while the kids ran around and entertained each other.  Besides that one window licking incident, the coffee was great and the pastries delicious.  After, we walked a few blocks to a new, great park.  Let the kids run off some of the sugar they had just ingested before walking back and heading home.  Then to cap it all off the LL and I went t...

Nap time is usually reserved for a mash up of cleaning, organizing, eating, blogging, surfing the web and trying to relax as much as possible before the Little Lady wakes up.  With our house going on the market tomorrow my house is the cleanest it has ever been.  Literally.  I feel like we're living in a model home.  Kind of like Michael and George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development .  It's equal parts nice and annoying.  Nice having a super clean home and annoying that I have to keep it show ready all.the.time. The best part of having a show ready house?  I have nothing more to do during nap time than blog, eat and watch Angel .  Because bad TV at nap time is the best way to relax.  Well, maybe just if you're living in a model home.

Potty training is an exercise of patience, control and humor on the part of the child, the parents and any other innocent bystander that gets caught in the way.  Luckily for us the Little Lady has done quite well for a wee person of her age.  We try to minimize and downplay accidents and have the mantra, " Pee and poop go in the potty.  Pee and poop go in the potty. "  (Imagine us swaying back and forth while clapping our hands.  Oh, the kinds of adults our kids reduce us to.) So the other week a friend of ours came to stay with us and accidentally got some paint on her arm as she was helping me paint our back porch.  The LL was quite concerned and asked if she had an accident and if she was ok and if she needed a bandaid or a kiss to make it feel better.  Our friend replied, no, she was fine and then asked if the LL ever had accidents. "Yes, I have accidents.  I pee myself." Spoken in a kind of sad, matter of fact voice.  Like...

Here in Minnesota we have something known as, "The Minnesota Goodbye."  Approximately an hour before you actually leave you announce that you're leaving, proceed to say goodbye to everyone in the room; individually, chat for a few minutes, gather your belongings and then, finally depart.  It's annoying, expected and a hard trap not to fall into. Parents of toddlers have a similar dance that they play, every time they are about to leave some place; especially if the location is particularly fun. "Five more minutes Sally, five more minutes and then we're leaving." The amount of time is really quite arbitrary.  Sally doesn't know what five minutes is and thus it is really up to the parent to decide how much longer they're going to stay.  But without that initial warning all hell can go loose in an instant. "Two more minutes Sally.  Yes, I know you don't want to leave, but everyone is leaving too." The parent talks a bit more, g...

Hello good peeps!  It's currently 79 degrees in sunny Minneapolis and I think it's high time I shared my favorite summer drinks with you.  Whether you are chilling on a patio, sipping around a campfire or simply sitting in front of your A/C, here are five tasty, cool, refreshing drinks for your  pleasure.  What about you?  What do you imbibe in the summer? Moscow Mule :  I had this for the first time at the beginning of summer and it is just about perfect.  Ginger beer (not ginger ale), vodka and lime come together to form the most refreshing drink you can have on a patio.  Sweet, spicy, with a nice little kick. Surly's Cynic Ale :  A light colored ale with a nice kick at the end.  I could drink pints and pints of this brew.  It's the ideal beer for a back yard BBQ. Arnold Palmer :  Part tart lemonade, part sweet iced tea.  Love this combination in the summer time, especially in the afternoons!  Nothing like a l...