Why Didn’t I Think of That…..

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Jennifer

Actually, these are all my brilliant ideas, so I did think of that! Feel free to steal them and actually do something with them since I am way too lazy to actually do anything about any of them. LOL. Plus, I am guessing that someone already has most of these ideas.

Play-Doh Sorter: Okay is it just me or does everyone else hate when their kids mix Play-Doh colors?  I mean, I let L do it, but inside my OCD is going insane.  It really irks me that once Play-Doh colors are mixed, they can’t be unmixed.  There has to be a way to un-mix them.  Well, maybe not. It’s not like you can un-mix like food coloring when you mix it in water.  Or can you???  Maybe it’s just that no one has invented it yet??  On a somewhat related note, I would like someone to invent something that would sort things by color.  Like, for example, I want to make rainbow rice with L, but I DO NOT want it to get all mixed up, because then it wouldn’t be fun anymore now would?  And I am crazy, but not crazy enough to sort colored rice by hand.

License Plate Texting: With all the talk about texting and driving and how awful it is, this idea would never fly.  Maybe 10-15 years ago it would have when I originally thought of it, it would have.  But not anymore.  So anyways, I want to be able to call people by their license plate number.  You see a hot guy in the car next to you?  Just call him!  Some a-hole cut you off and you are pissed?  Just call him and rip him a new one!  The guy in front of you has a brake light that’s out?  Call him!  Genius.

Sample / Variety Packs: A few of my friends have been talking recently about trying a new kind of bottle for their babies because of spit-up, or whatever.  And it dawned on me.  Why can’t you just buy a variety pack of bottles so you can try all of them and figure out what is best for your kid??  This could work for bottles, diapers, pacifiers, etc.  And it would work for more than just baby stuff.  It could work for make-up, deodorant, anything!  And yeah, this idea will never been happening in real life either because companies would never agree to sell things with their competitors.  But they should.

And those my friends are my ideas.  What brilliant, but not realistic ideas do you have?  I want to hear.  I am sure I will love them!

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Friday iPhone Dump

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Jennifer

Our week.

I see everyone else doing this and if everyone else is doing it, well I want to do it too!

1. B and L went to the Tigers game yesterday afternoon.  I got some $6 tickets from my credit card company (they have all sorts of local promotional offers like this) so my big boys took advantage and went.  Well, someone had way too good of a time at the game and passed out in the car on the way home.  And didn’t even wake up when he was carried in the house.
2.  For some reason I put Lincoln Logs on L’s birthday list.  And L insisted that “we” build the picture on the box.  We had instructions yet he was so sure I was doing it wrong. Umm, kid, I got this under control.
3.  I saw this woman at Jungle Java last week with the coolest Puma’s on.  Of course, I GTS when I got home and ordered as soon as I found them.  What I didn’t know was that they would also come in a Clever Little Bag.  When did Puma start this?  I am in love.
4.  B finished setting up L’s huge train set in the basement one night this week.  And L has been playing like crazy.  I do not understand the fun of electric trains (hello watching them go in circles is boring), but what do I know.  L sure thinks it’s fun.  Actually B does too.  He gets SO serious about building the tracks. It is so fun to watch him.
5.  I finally got around to picking up some red, white & blue (well navy) beans for my patriotic apothecary jars.  I need to pick up some blue balls (*) for the 2nd jar (I am hoping Target has them since that is where the other ones came from) and I am thinking about colored (red, white & blue obviously) sand for the 3rd jar.  Can I buy colored sand at the store?  Where??
6.  And finally my sweet little W.  His life isn’t overly exciting (he pretty much just eats, sleeps and poops), but he did have two amazing “firsts” this week.  He made his first trip to Target (first of many considering I am his mom) and he rolled over.  Yep, he rolled over at 4 weeks.  Belly to back.  He’s a complete genius.  And likely will be getting a helmet since it appears he’s not into tummy time and wants to get a flat head!

This was fun!  Look for it again next Friday (as well as Flashback Friday which I am making a regular feature – would anyone want to do a link-up???).  Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

(*) Just typing it made me laugh. Yep, I am like 12.

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Flashback Friday

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Jennifer

I'd like to think I haven't aged since then. Hahaha.


Circa 1995. We did not have digital cameras back then.

Upon popular (okay, well just one person requested them) request, here are some pictures from my prom. Which was 17 YEARS AGO. Yes, 17. How insane is that? I had to do the math a few times myself before I believed it. I think Flashback Fridays might become a regular feature. I have tons of old school pictures. Did anyone else used to get perms? How hot was that????

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Random Ramblings…

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Jennifer
  • L and I set on on Sunday morning (his birthday) in search of a Sponge Bob balloon. I had previously gotten him one at WalMart, so we headed there thinking it would be an in and out trip. 3 WalMarts and 1 Meijer later, we still hadn’t found the balloon. And then it dawned on me.  Go to a party supply store.  Actually the last WalMart we were at was across the street from one and I saw it from the parking lot.  Not even 5 minutes later, we were the proud owners of about a million balloons which got tied to L’s chair (aka The Birthday Kid). Could I be any dumber??? I mean I was prepared to go to more WalMarts if necessary.
  • While on my WalMart world tour, I did discover the most delicious ice cream on earth.  It’s called Tiger Traxx by Hudsonville Ice Cream.  It’s a limited edition (probably just for summer when the Detroit Tigers are playing) and I am sad to think about what I will do when it’s gone.  It has chocolate covered pretzels in it. Yeah, so pretty much it has pretzel M&M’s in it.  Hello new best friend!!!
  • I started step one of my spice / baking cabinet organization project yesterday.  I stole this idea to organize my cupcake wrappers (which were all bought during Target holiday clearance sales) from Pinterest and cannot believe what an improvement it made already!  I got the larger jar from IKEA and the smaller one is a mason jar stolen from my moms house.

Tell me this isn't genius??

  • I am up way too late right now because there is a hysterical conversation going on on my favorite message board.  That’s all I am saying. It’s so going to be worth however tired I am tomorrow. SO worth it.
  • If I have to look at one more stretch mark filled belly on 16 & Pregnant, I am going to vomit.  For some reason I expect pregnant teenagers to be stretch mark free.  But this new crew.  Wow.  So much laser surgery in their future.  As a side note, I never got stretch marks with L and W, so I am obviously spoiled in that way.  But if I had gotten any, I would never ever ever have allowed them to be shown on tv.  Never.
  • Okay, so I watched Pregnant in Heels on my DVR yesterday.  I am still cracking up about Fritz and his crazy crazy ideas.  Besides wanting his wife to give birth in a field while clutching a tree, he wants to communicate with his baby about “elimination”? Umm, okay.  Because newborns communicate super well.  And FYI, they shit every two minutes. And Christine drinking the placenta milkshake??  Oh my.  Oh my.  I am sure it was super delicious. (LOL).
And on the note of eating your own placenta, I have to go finish up my breakfast.

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99 Things….

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Jennifer

I stole borrowed this idea from Courtney over at Keeping Up with Court.  I thought it was going to be a quick easy post.  I clearly thought wrong.

The only rules are to bold what you have done.  You don’t have to add any comments like I did.

1. Started your own blog: Umm, clearly I have my own blog or you wouldn’t be reading this.
2. Slept under the stars: Like no tent sleeping directly under the stars?  I don’t think so?? But I have slept in a tent a handful of times.  And in a car a few times (tents leak, cars don’t).
3. Played in a band: What in the world would I play??  I did play the recorder in 4th (?) grade though.
4. Visited Hawaii: Ugh.  No.  I wish though.
5. Watched a meteor shower: I have tried a few times.  However, since Michigan is so cloudy all the time, I can never see anything.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity: If you consider the casino to be a charity, then yes.  Otherwise, no.
7. Been to Disneyland: No, but I have been to DisneyWorld like 50 times.  So I am going with yes on this one.
8. Climbed a mountain: Come on really?
9. Held a praying mantis: Not happening.  I had to google what a praying mantis is.  This would be an example of why B thinks I am dumb.
10. Sang a solo: No one wants to hear that.
11. Bungee jumped: No.  I almost did in Vegas years and years ago, but it was too windy.
12. Visited Paris: Yep.  J’ai passé trois semaines en Europe après l’école secondaire.  And if you think I just remembered that on my own, I have some swampland to sell you…..
13. Watched a lightening storm: Of course.  This happens all the time in Michigan.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch: Hmm, what counts as an art??  I am guessing no matter what the definition is, I haven’t.
15. Adopted a child:  No.  Just Baxter and Buddy.  Sometimes they (Buddy) are more work than children though.
16. Had food poisoning:  Nope.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty: Nope.
18. Grown your own vegetables: Yes!  We have a garden right now as a matter of fact.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France: Yes.  See #12.  How could you visit Paris and NOT go to the Louvre??
20. Slept on an overnight train: Seeing how I have never been on an overnight train, no.
21. Had a pillow fight: Sure I guess?
22. Hitch hiked: Hell no, I don’t have a death wish.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill: Yeah, I am sure I have, but I can’t recall a specific time I did this when I worked?  But in college yeah, I was “sick” alot.  Cough, cough.
24. Built a snow fort: Yeah, when I was a kid.
25. Held a lamb:  No?
26. Gone skinny dipping: OMG, no way.  My mom reads this.
27. Run a Marathon:  No.  But I am inspired by those who do??
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice: Since I have never been to Venice, no.  I did ride through the canals of the Venetian in Vegas though.
29. Seen a total eclipse: Yeah.  Didn’t everyone make those shoe box things in school to look at them?  And then didn’t everyone just look at it directly anyways?
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset: Of course.  Who hasn’t?
31. Hit a home run:  No.
32. Been on a cruise: I have been on 4 I think?
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person: Yep.  Many times!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors: No.
35. Seen an Amish community: Yeah.  I mean, I haven’t been on their farms or anything.  But I have seen their buggies and all that on the roads.
36. Taught yourself a new language:  No.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied:  I’d have to win the Mega Millions to be able to do everything I ever wanted, so no.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person: Nope.
39. Gone rock climbing: L has a rock wall on his swingset.  Does that count???
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David: No.
41. Sung karaoke: Only when drunk.  But sure.  Who hasn’t?
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt: No.  I don’t even know where Old Faithful is.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant: No?  I have bought a stranger a coffee though.
44. Visited Africa: No.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight: Yep.  Cabo.  Various Michigan & Florida Beaches.  San Diego. Nice, France.  Some were romantic.  Some were not.
46. Been transported in an ambulance: No thank gosh!
47. Had your portrait painted: Not like by a real artist.  But I have had my caricature done.  Probably as close to a portrait as I will ever get.  Or as close as I ever want to get.
48. Gone deep sea fishing:  Yep.  Cabo.  B and I were so hungover we threw up over the side of the boat a few times on one trip.  But we did catch some amazing fish. Nothing better than catching a fish and eating it a few hours later.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person: No.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris: Yes.  If you have been to Paris, you have been to the Eiffel Tower.  I think its a law?
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling: I have been snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain: Yeah, but it’s not all romantic like it is on tv.
53. Played in the mud: Come on, I have a 4 year old boy.  I have played in the mud millions of times.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater: We used to go when I was a little girl.  I haven’t been in ages, but I would like to go again.
55. Been in a movie: In a movie?  Umm, no.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China: It’s on my bucket list.
57. Started a business:  Hmm, no.  I have this blog but I don’t make any money from it. I would like to start a fro-yo shop!
58. Taken a martial arts class: I took a kick boxing aerobics class at a martial arts place in college, so I am counting it.
59. Visited Russia: Nope.
60. Served at a soup kitchen: Horrible, but no.  I am ashamed of myself.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies: I was a Brownie, never a Girl Scout, but I am pretty sure we sold cookies???
62. Gone whale watching: No.
63. Got flowers for no reason: Yep!  And maybe my husband will bring me home some tonight??  Hint, hint.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma: I have given blood a few times.
65. Gone sky diving: Umm, no.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp: No. But B has.  That should count right?
67. Bounced a check: Yep.  I am super responsible!!!!
68. Flown in a helicopter: Sure have.  Not in ages though.  When I was little we went on a helicopter ride over Niagara Falls.  I almost went on one in Vegas with L, but it was going to cost a fortune.  Maybe next time??
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy: I personally haven’t, but my parents have some of my childhood toys.  
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial: I have never been to Washington D.C.  Can you believe that?
71. Eaten Caviar: Yes and I do not like it.
72. Pieced a quilt: Never happening.
73. Stood in Times Square: Yep. I even saw the Naked Cowboy there.
74. Toured the Everglades: No.
75. Been fired from a job: OMG, no. I would feel awful.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London: Considering I have never been to London, no.
77. Broken a bone: No.
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle: No.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person: Does seeing in from an airplane on your way to Vegas count??
80. Published a book: Yeah right.
81. Visited the Vatican: No.
82. Bought a brand new car: Sure have.  Not just leased.  Bought.
83. Walked in Jerusalem: No.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper: I am not sure?  Maybe?
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve: For sure.  That’s all I am saying.  LOL.
86. Visited the White House: Although this post is taking me forever to write, I still have not been to D.C.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating: Gross.  No.  I have been a slaughter house though. They didn’t let me shoot the cows myself though.
88. Had chickenpox: Yep!
89. Saved someone’s life: No.
90. Sat on a jury: No.  And I do not want to get jury duty.  Ever.  So un-American of me.
91. Met someone famous: Of course.  See here.
92. Joined a book club: Nope.  I talked about books enough in school.
93. Got a tattoo: I have two! I think I want one more though.
94. Had a baby: Yep two!!!  L and W.
95. Seen the Alamo in person: No.  I don’t really care to either.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake: Is this in Utah?  Never even heard of it?
97. Been involved in a law suit: I have been in a few class action lawsuits and have given a deposition in another.
98. Owned a cell phone: Seriously?  Of course I have.  I have actually had the same phone number since I owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee: No!

This might be my longest post ever!  It sure did take ages to complete.  I should give out prizes for those who made it all the way through.

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So What Wednesday!

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Jennifer


It’s So What Wednesday over at Life After I Dew and I’m linking up! This week I am saying SO WHAT if..

  • I cannot stop watching the Harvard baseball team’s cover of Call Me Maybe. How cute are those guys????
  • I kind of like cooking for my boys and doing all B’s errands and stuff. Except ironing.  I’ll do it, but I would rather not.
  • I usually turn off the fan when B falls asleep at night.  What?  I told you, I like to end up sweating my ass off at night.
  • We bought L his birthday present the day of his birthday.  And so what if I considered not getting him anything.  He already has everything.
  • I tried to snooze W screaming yesterday morning.  We have the iBaby Monitor which works through our iPhones and I am so used to just snoozing that thing when it made noise in the morning.  Just in case you are wondering, there is NO way to snooze a crying baby.
  • Mama didn’t stay up screwing around on the internet after the 4am feeding, she wouldn’t even need to “snooze” the baby.
  • I didn’t know that there was actually special water balloons.  Really?  We can’t just have one type of balloon.

So what are you saying so what to this week???

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Photoshop Fun – Yep, Again

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Jennifer

Ugh, what can I say, I am addicted. A friend of mine used to do my photoshopping (even though I have always had the program) for me, and I was always asking her to do black and white pictures with a pop of color. I have some great ones of L that I LOVE. Think black and white pictures with a red santa hat, etc. Well, it’s about time I learn to do that myself! I used both an iPad / iPhone App (ColorSplash and Dash of Color both work great) and Photoshop. If you just want to do something quick, use the apps. They are SO easy! But I wanted more pops of color, so I used Photoshop too. Here are the results:

FYI: The hat is actually grey. Dark grey.

I am super pleased at how they turned out and once I pick my favorite, I will get it printed and frame it. W needs to get added to our photo wall asap.

I also spent some time trying to learn how to adjust eye color. Not bad for a first attempt if you ask me!

My mom thinks his eyes look creepy in the second one. Whatever!

If you are sick of me posting doctored up pictures of my kids, too bad. Dogs just don’t really need as much editing. Actually, it’s not too bad. Send me some pictures of your kids and I will edit them!

Posted in It's all about W!, Photoshop, Things I Love | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Summer Fun

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Jennifer


It’s been SO nice here lately and we are totally loving it. I would go insane with a winter baby. I love to get outside and get some fresh air. And I know W does too. And L, he has been playing outside like crazy!!! We spend tons of time on the swingset.  Tons of time.   And I rigged up the hose on the slide so we could have a waterslide.  Hello ghetto much?? Who cares, L LOVED it.  And my yard, well, let’s just say it is now soaking wet.  We also spend a lot of time driving his car (with Baxter riding shotgun) and W and I chasing them with the stroller.  And the other day, I introduced L to water balloons.  OMG, he went crazy for them.  So crazy in fact that we had to make a bunch of balloons so we could have a giant water balloon fight when B got home from work.  So so so fun.  And B had even more fun that anyone.  L and I ended up soaked.  B, not so much.

So what have you been doing with this nice weather???

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Things That Annoy Me….

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Jennifer

It appears that some people take my things that annoy me posts way too seriously. After my last post, I got a few comments which pretty much said that I was a b*tch. Umm, tell me something I don’t know? Anyways, here are a few of my current annoyances…

Drawsomething Cheaters: I have a love / hate relationship with my new favorite App. I can’t draw to save my life and it appears the rest of America can’t draw either. Which is what makes the game so much fun. But every once in a while you get some idiot who insists on writing their words out. Instead of drawing a palmtree, they just write “Palmtree”. Wow, that was a super fun round you moron. Why play Drawsomething if you don’t want to draw? And what’s the point of cheating on an iPhone app? Wait that was a horrible example. Palm tree is two words not one. I bet it annoys some people that I can’t spell and I have grammar issues.

Toys that don’t fit in the box: Okay, I don’t understand how / why this happens. But it does. And it happens way too often. L’s game “Lucky Ducks” (*). For some reason, the ducks DO NOT FIT back inside the box once it is opened. I do not understand this at all and when I have to put the game away, a word that rhymes with duck is what I want to yell. Seriously, I think it would take an engineer to fit those stupid ducks back in the box. And don’t even get me started on how the game turns on as I am jamming those dumb ducks back in the box. Ugh. Oh, but other than all that, I actually find Lucky Ducks to be an enjoyable game.

Duck Face: You know what I am talking about. Hell if you go through your facebook / twitter / instagram you will probably find a few of these pictures right now. I feel like if you don’t make the face in real life, why make it when you are taking a picture? I kind of sort of hate all self portrait camera phone pictures. I have been guilty of this myself though, so I am pretty much saying that I annoy myself. Whatever.

Positivity: This is going to sound dumb, but too much positivity makes me a negative person. “Oh, my husband is SO wonderful.” “My kids are the best in the entire world.”. “My life is so great”. “I’m so happy.” Really? If all that were true, you would not have to be posting about it every two seconds. All those inspirational quotes on Facebook irk me too (I know I mentioned this the other day). I know, I know. Positivity is supposed to be good. But too much of a good thing makes me crabby.

 

 

 

(*) Why this game costs $30 on Amazon I have no idea. I think I paid like $3 during some sale at Toys R Us???? Plastic ducks do not cost $30 to make.

Posted in It's All About Me | Tagged | 11 Comments

Happy 4th Birthday Lucas!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Jennifer

Happy 4th Birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet Lucas (*)! 4 years ago today our lives changed in the best way ever. We are so lucky to have this little man as our son and little W is just as lucky to have him as a big brother.

Lucas, as you blow out your candles today, don’t forget to make a wish. Your dad and I will do our best to make sure they all come true ;) . We love you!!!

 

 

 

(*) I feel like something as important as a 4th birthday requires actual names!!

Posted in It's all about L, Things I Love | Tagged , | 4 Comments