2009: Our Year in Pictures
Wouldn’t it be great if you started reading this post and it was just picture after picture of Jon & Kate, Michael Jackson, David Letterman and Tiger Woods? I guess they were big news this year. And from what I hear about Tiger, he was really BIG news, nudge nudge. (Did I really just say that in my year end recap? Why yes, yes I did.) Really though, it has been a truly incredible year in our lives and today is the 1 year anniversary... Read More
Guest Post: Gigi Takes Over
Hey guys, I’m not sure what hit me, but I’m off the charts tired today. We’re talking stay in your sweats all day, down a 1/2 a pot of coffee before noon: tired. Maybe it was the all day outing with Jumpy Jumperton and Clingy Clingerton yesterday, or dragging their lazy tushes up and down our driveway on a sled last night, but in any event, I had to call in the reinforcements. I don’t mean “happy pills,” I... Read More
Dream Date
..for Gigi at least. Lulu is another matter entirely. We had nothing on the agenda for the day and with it being Winter Break, we were free to go and do whatever we wanted. I got up and got my workout done as early as possible, followed by a green smoothie in a bowl, so we could attempt to leave the house before the next presidential election. spinach 1 scoop vanilla soy protein powder frozen strawberries frozen mango almond milk cinnamon Kashi... Read More
Master of Illusion
It seems as though Gigi is innocently posing for a portrait in her tutu this morning. Upon closer inspection, she is doing a highly risky dance move involving a chair. I’m choosing to believe it’s origin is more Fred Astaire and less Carmen Electra. You might think that I dined al fresco at a small bistro after I got a nice solo Mommy date today to get my haircut. Really, though, it was just our living room, and there’s no way... Read More
Babes In Misfit Toyland
We took the day yesterday to break in all our new toys. Pea Daddy and I stayed up until midnight breaking in our new LOST: Season 5 DVDs. Sheer torture. Isn’t a cougar a natural predator of a “Fox”? Grrrrrrow. My own fox broke in some new books with Lulu. “Shhh…don’t tell me how it ends!” After my workout, I made some protein ice cream for breakfast. 1 scoop vanilla protein powder 1/4 c. silken tofu 1... Read More
The Peasies: Christmas 2009 Edition
Merry Christmas! As you can imagine, my camera is FULL of pictures, my carpet is littered with Scotch tape and wrapping paper fragments, our recycling bin is full of Gymboree and My Little Pony boxes and despite an hour of trying to put some of the insane amount of gifts our girls recieved away, our entryway still looks like a jumble of pink tulle, rainbow socks, pjs and swimsuits and themed panties (which thankfully fit Daddy perfectly). So rather... Read More
For God So Loved the World
…that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life. Celebrate this time with the ones you love. We count you among our many blessings this Christmas. Merry Christmas! Read More
If You Need Me, I’ll Be in the Kitchen
I’m scrambling. I’m scrambling to get the last of the presents bought. I miraculously slipped another pink tutu in our cart unnoticed today while the girls pulled a drawstring out of a pair of shorts on a rounder and proceeded to play “O Christmas Tree” with Lulu as the Christmas tree. No one was strangled and I was able to stealthily purchase the object of Gigi’s desire, so it was a win-win. If there is ever a... Read More
No Sweat
There have been some highly questionable choices made in 2009: McCain’s choice of running mate, (edited to add: this was actually in 2008, but still: poor choice) the choice of Pea Daddy and I to waste two hours of our lives and 667 unique page views worth of income on Couples’ Retreat, some incredibly desperate woman’s choice to use a surrogate whose last name also is a type of hard liquor, my choice to not start even planning... Read More
Honoring and Breaking Traditions
I am a great lover of tradition, new and old. Ever since we decided to go to Hawaii for Spring Break, we’ve had the tradition of putting on our swimsuits and getting out our beach towels, regardless of the fact that it is December 20th and the middle of our living room. Lulu was prepared with her reading material. Gigi asked for a snack, “something tropical.” I’m not quite sure how hummus and crackers qualify, especially... Read More
Lucky Dog
In the words of Ice Cube, “Today was a good day.” Before we headed out for the afternoon, we had some smoothies. I served mine in a bowl for easier toppin’. 1/2 scoop vanilla soy protein powder 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk 1 c. spinach 1 c. frozen strawberries 1/4 c. frozen mango 1/4 c. frozen pineapple cinnamon ~2T. Kashi Go Lean ~2 T. granola Then we dropped the kiddos off with my parents so we could finish up our Christmas shopping. ... Read More
Looks Like
Looks like I was the victim of a pretty serious hack job, as was The Fitnessista. At least I was in good company. But order has been restored to the universe, well, aside from Tiger refusing to return my text messages. Thanks for sticking with me through the drama. I’ll try to make it worth your while. Some people see Jesus in fish sticks. Some people see the Virgin Mary in a pretzel. Me, well, I’m blessed with juice stains on... Read More
A Winter Fantasy
My breakfast fantasy: After a leisurely run in the warm sunshine, I’d enjoy a scrumptious almond butter jar of pumpkin oatbran, topped with apples and granola, brought to me on a tray carried by my perfectly groomed children in adorable matching “I Love My Mommy” sweaters and pleated skirts. My breakfast reality: After cursing my alarm, Jillian’s Level 2 Shred and my freezing cold garage treadmill, I enjoyed my oats with Rapunzel... Read More
Peas Give at Christmas
A lot of times I get comments that say, “How do you come up with this stuff?!,” with “this stuff” usually being pop culture references, shameless jokes at the expense of my family or a slightly offensive one-liner. This is not one of those posts. In fact, this is pretty rare that I have some sort of inspiration for a post rather than just the giddy fatigue from a day of parenting two and four-year-old girls non-stop from... Read More
What a Faker!
I totally faked my way through a workout this morning and then had a deep yearning for Oats In a Jar. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), all my nut butter receptacles are full. Empty jars? Those I have. I made Fake Oatmeal in a Jar! In a play on Courtney’s upside down oats, I put a dollop of almond butter in an empty jar, and then smeared it all around like I’d been sneaking baby spoonfuls, carrot swipes and finger scoops out of the... Read More
Nacho Mama
This is Nacho Mama’s Cabbage Soup. I remember my parent’s going on the Cabbage Soup Diet several times growing up, specifically before their high school reunion and their trip to Hawaii. While I always found stuffing oneself with bananas and skim milk or tomatoes and beef a little bizarre, I did enjoy the soup. Now an unlimited milk and beef day? Holy cow, that I could be down with. Let me state for the record that I am NOT trying... Read More
The Sweet and The Sour
The Sweet: Dressing up for Gigi’s Christmas Program. The Sour: We still had no heat at this point, so our teeth were chattering and we had to wear heavy cardigans to avoid Nipplegate 2009. The Sweet: Absolutely every second of Gigi’s Christmas Program. She entered proudly waving her ribbon. The audience giggled as she placed one hand on her hip and swayed her hips with each swish of the ribbon. She sang her little heart out. And... Read More
Frozen Peas
Move over cellulite, Bill O’Reilly and socks with sandals. My disdain for you pales in comparison to my new nemesis. At some point yesterday morning our furnace gave out. I’m guessing it had to do with the record low temperatures (it was a nice 13 degrees when I headed to the garage for my workout), and I think this really just supports Sarah Palin’s contention that global warming is merely “agenda driven science.” We... Read More
Twelve Lessons of the Day
1. Peanut butter straight from the jar is quite possibly the best snack ever, even if you end up looking slightly like a toothless redneck with a mullet. 2. Jesus might just pop up when you least expect Him, so have your iPhone camera (and your soul) ready. 3. There is a direct correlation between the quality and quantity of cocoa powder I use, and the amount of spinach I can get my kids to slurp down. Mmm….so good. “Thumbs... Read More
The Why and The How
This is WHY I love our new camera. I’m like a Walmart photo studio but without this family watching our shoot from checkstand eight. This is HOW to tick off your cat. She’s thinking, “Lady, you’ve wanted nothing to do with me since those drooly, whiny, tailing grabbing, tutu wearing midgets got here, and now this!?” This is WHY you don’t let your husband test the camera when you are wearing your glasses and... Read More
Christmas Came Early
This morning was my fourth morning in a row that I’ve gotten up early to work out with Jillian. I am so SORE, specifically my legs. I’ve been waking up with terrible leg cramps that have me leaping out of bed and hopping around like someone smashed a pickle ornament on the kitchen floor and I’m avoiding dill shards. Sadly, I know exactly what that is like. After a little Googling, I learned that my nocturnal leg cramps are... Read More
A Day for Sharon
You’re thinking, “Who the H is Sharon?” Not her. What I meant to say is, “A Day for Sharing.” When you become a mom, NOTHING is your own anymore. My smoothies get divided by three, my peanut butter jars have tiny finger tracks throughout them and my bras become headwear during impromptu dress-up games(which are actually probably more necessary than me needing any form of support for my little kiwis). Still, it... Read More
Helping Ourselves
Mooch much? Today we made ourselves at home in a variety of places, and most certainly outwore our welcome. Memberships will be revoked, locks will be changed and phone numbers will be lost. I started out my day taking advantage of my own free personal trainer. I haven’t been this sore since my half marathon. Funny how you think you are in shape until you get a wake-up call like a fog horn in your eardrum at 4 a.m. However, somehow it’s... Read More
No Regrets
My main goal in life is to have as few regrets as possible. Today was no exception. I thought I would regret not going for a run, but I actually enjoyed getting a killer workout from a hot broad with a killer ankle tat. If I could do this everyday until our Hawaii trip, maybe I won’t regret that new two piece I plan to buy. I do regret letting my toddler have coffee. I think she tore out the springs on her Jumperoo that day. I didn’t... Read More
Men In Trees
In a strange twist of events, there has been an abundance of testosterone in our house today. As an undercurrent to our day was the growing anticipation of the Civil War football game this evening. For those out of our great state, this is the annual college football showdown between Oregon State and the University of Oregon. Yes, Beavers versus Ducks. The whole Beaver Snuggie thing from yesterday makes a lot more sense now. (On a side note,... Read More
So Sneaky
I’m sneaking in a post while Daddy gives the girls their baths. Last night, Lulu “dropped some kids off in the pool,” so I don’t anticipate I’m missing much. Let me just sneak in a quick “Happy Birthday Mimi” in case she happens to read the blog today. Love you, Mommy! This morning, after a quick run, I snuck in some upper body resistance training. She’s about thirty pounds, so it was actually a... Read More
Tofu Barbie
Since becoming a parent, I’ve learned that things don’t necessarily have to be all or nothing. There can be a little yin to go with the yang, and that doesn’t make me a hypocrite. I can be a woman of faith, yet religiously watch a slightly foul-mouthed and blasphemous Chelsea Handler. I can eat a tropical breakfast on a chilly December 1st and still call myself a true Oregonian. I can let my kids eat chocolate before 8 a.m.... Read More
