movie recommendation

Go see "Swing Vote". The new Kevin Costner movie is so good. I love that it was released now just as our own presidential candidates are beginning their mud slinging and commentators are beginning to dissect each one's campaign. It made me laugh (out loud), cry, get mad, think, ponder, wonder, and most of all it was just plain enjoyable. I haven't liked Kevin this much since "Field of Dreams." The girl who plays his daughter is such a great character (sorry can't remember her name, I think it is Madeline Carroll) and she nailed her performance. There are so many other famous actors (and people playing themselves) it made it fun to see them in one movie. Now, it is a movie so it gets a little over-the-top but the message is clear. I give it a big thumbs up.

here is the trailer on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWodSDYgfXA

busy

I'm here and swamped with laundry and housework. All this summer fun is starting to get to me. I realize how much I truly crave schedules, routines, and my daily duties when it is all gone due to swimming, cookouts, and all the other fun stuff of summer time. Be back soon...

free vitamins

You know how they say nothing is free anymore? Well, I discovered that my grocery store (meijer) gives free prenatal vitamins so I asked for the list and at my doctor's appointment last night my doc gladly wrote me a prescription. I have never used the prescription vitamins, usually just the ones you buy with the other vitamins but I always think that every little bit helps. So I bring them home and I am reading the side effects/warnings, etc. and it says, "may change the color of stools and/or urine." Now, hmm, are these free vitamins worth alien poos and pees? I don't know. I'll have to wait and see what... develops! Hee hee! Anyway, if you know a preggo lady, you might want to have her check out these freebies, it will be time to buy infant stuff soon and these extra savings might be worth it.

birthday

All right, so he poops and pees on the floor and he digs through the trash. He "snots" me when I pet him. He has unreasonably high doctor bills. He is kind of stinky. He eats really loud. He sheds hairs everywhere and they will not vacuum out of my van. He steals the kids' cookies. He jumps in my lap every time I sit down to watch tv. He lays on my scrapbook stuff if I am working at my desk. He goes crazy when the doorbell rings, being horribly loud. He chewed a pair of my pink polka dot pumps one time. He follows me everywhere, always right behind me, never giving me my space. Sometimes he runs after cars down the street and won't come home. He's pretty cute. I love him. It's his birthday today. He is seven. He is my doggie woggie, cutie pie, Max. Love ya, you big sweetie!

Goin' green

our rain barrel, please ignore the weeds in front of itsolar powered spot lights
We've been trying to do a few things to save money around here, just like everyone else in the world, and as a bonus, they are eco-friendly too! Aren't we so green-chic? We got this cool barrel to catch rain water from our downspouts, it is awesome. The thing fills up after one decent rain and we use the water to water our flowers and bushes. We haven't used our hose one time this summer! Thankfully, we have been getting steady rains every so often. We got the barrel from my friend Penny, who got it from I have no idea where. She is my go-to girl, she can find anything, and it's usually at a garage sale or off the curb. She rocks! And I got Paul these cool solar powered spot lights for our trees in the front yard. They look really good at night all lit up. They were super easy to install and not much more than the regular electric ones. I've been using the reusable bags for a while now at the grocery. I must say I miss all those little plastic bags I would get each week, they have so many uses, especially for our tiny trash cans. But I am trying to keep my eyes on the bigger picture here... And, today I ordered another recycling bin to be delivered. The garbage men keep taking my boxes of recycling with the regular trash and I was getting a teeny bit irritated, I mean, I was going to all that work to separate everything and they were just dumping it. Urgh! Oh well, just doin' my part to save the earth.

county fair

We went to the fair last night and boy did we have fun. I love seeing all those animals up close. My heart just aches for them. I just want to take them all home to save them from their eventual fates. Paul says I am too much of a softy and that farmers are used to the circle of life. My dream of having a farm somewhere will never come true, I don't have the heart for it. I also love seeing the teeny boppers who are in full summer romance mode, hands in back pockets, lovingly staring at each other as they share a corn dog, how sweet it is, if only for a week! On a related note, I have to say fair food (and Reds game food! love those nachos!) is my favorite food. I just love the fake, not-good-for-you, cheese-laden goodies that the fair offers. Where else can you get cheesecake on a stick, buckets of fries (an actual sign for this one!), and fried Twinkies? The crazy thing, I look forward to going and getting a treat every year, something I never eat, and for the second year in a row, I was so busy chasing the kids and making sure they got their treats that I never got myself anything! Talk about depressed! A pregnant woman should never be denied some good fair food. I guess it saved me some heartburn. All in all, the kids had a blast, Parker was loving the rides and Zoe was wanting to go on them all, even the crazy ones. I am still suspicious of rides that weren't in place a week ago that send my children hurling through the air with barely a seat belt. They each won a game and got a prize. Best of all, we were all together for a great evening.

Zoe

How can it be that my baby girl is riding her bike without training wheels? Paul has been trying to get her to ride for about a year and she's tried a few times with no success. Last night, she said, "I'm going to ride without my training wheels." And she did. With only a few minor bumps and bruises, she was navigating our driveway and the grass. She hasn't ventured out onto the sidewalk yet, she said she would "later." We stayed outside really late just letting her practice and she was so proud of herself. We were too of course. I was glad I had my sunglasses on to hide my tears, I can't believe she is growing up so fast.



On another Zoe note, we have worked out a plan together to clean her room and get it organized for the start of the school year. I had her draw a "map" (basically a picture) of her room. Together, we are going to clean one thing a day (yesterday we cleaned her desk) and throw away all junk/trash (the girl keeps every scrap of paper she finds!) and put other things where they go. After we clean each thing (dresser, bookcase, under the bed, etc.) we are going to cross it off the map. When all things are crossed off, she gets to go to Target and pick out a toy or similar item (I suggested a Leapster game or CD). She is pretty stoked to do this and so far there has been no complaining. Although when I suggested donating some of her unused toys, she said "no way, I have to save them for the new baby in case it is a girl! I will keep them in my room until she is old enough to have them, so she doesn't choke." See how smart she is? She is appealing to my mommy sense and keeping things at the same time, if her teenage years are going to be anything like the preschool years, I am in BIG trouble!