100 things about me

1. i am a little too cautious about eating expired food


2. i heart babysteals.com


3. tv characters i'd like to be: sarah walker, supernanny, macgyver


4. tv characters i am: marge simpson, christine kimball campbell, liz lemon, pam beesley


5. i ain't got time or the attention span for proper speling or grammar


6. i have two kids. both c-section. one with anesthesia on my whole body, one with anesthesia on half of my body


7. pregnancy for me is a lot like having the flu. for six months.


8. i have never, nor will i ever, eat at carls junior


9. i love music. primarily emo.


10. my favorite number is twenty. cause it's so fun to say. twweeeeeeeennnnnty.


11. i do not like twilight


12. i also do not care for harry potter


13. or lord of the rings


14. or anything starring jennifer love hewitt


15. it's the four elephants of the apocolypse!


16. i think high fidelity is the best commentary on women and men


17. i heart john cusak


18. i expect a lot from myself and others


19. i don't like snow


20. i like black olives because they squeak on my teeth


21. i don't like feet. i don't like to look at them, talk about them, touch them or be near them. let us never speak of it again


22. i am not famous


23. i do not like ice cream


24. i love red and orange


25. i see no point in watching local news


26. my husband is a talk show host. i haven't listened to his show in over a year. i do not like the aggressive controversial ethan. i like the ethan that makes me scrambled eggs.


27. i've had 6 or 7 boyfriends, ethan was the first to call me his girlfriend


28. my boyfriends were all a little too cool for me


29. i have started watching life on mars. i don't have any idea if it's a good show, and i don't really know what's going on, i just like to stare at jason o'mara.


30. diet dr pepper tastes like burnt chemicals so why am i drinking it?


31. my two year old gives fab hugs


32. cadbury mini eggs should be available year round


33. i am afraid of vetrinary offices


34. in theory communism works


35. i prefer to communicate via email or text


36. i don't like to watch sports


37. soccer is ok


38. cause soccer players are yum


39. i have great taste in music


40. i have bad taste in selecting what to eat for dinner


41. i wear contacts. i am very very blind without them


42. i'm kind of a little bit a hypochondriac


43. only because it's the only way to guarantee nothing will every happen to you


44. i am good at organizing


45. i am crap at follow-through


46. i am good at making dinner out of nothing when the cupboard are almost bare


47. because i hate the grocery store


48. it's too much to process


49. i have a crush on homer simpson


50. i know that's whack


51. so is crack


52. no matter what mood i am in, my children can quickly make me smile


53. i have a mild prolapse of a mitral valve. you probably too, most american's do


54. i met my husband while he was riding a bmx dirt jumper, a vegas specialized


55. my husband cried on our wedding day. i did not


56. he also cried when our boys were born, again i did not


57. i couldn't watch most of the inaugration because it was too emotional, too monumental.  i didn't have time to cry.


58. i want a mini van


59. i am not frumpy, nor do i wear sweats daily


60. i was front row centr at the radiohead concert in hollywood for the ok computer tour


61. since then concert going has lost it's draw


62. i asked the drummer from deathcab for cutie for his t-shirt and he gave it to me


63. my husband drove crispin glover around at sundance a few years ago


64. he saw paris hilton puking at a party


65. i like burnt food


66. i believe in ghosts


67. i once lived in an apartment downtown with a pink fridge, pink stove and pink bathroom


68. i spend 1/3 of the night on my side... 1/3 of the night on my back... and 1/3 of the night on my tummy


69. i sleep near the edge of the bed and must have my feet hanging off the end of the bed


70. i once took a weekend trip to paris


71. i've been blogging for many many years


72. cause i am a computer nerd


73. i heart computers


74. i do not posess any musical talent


75. nor do i have soul


76. i cannot dance


77. alison can dance. she can do the whole thriller dance. alison is cool.


78. super cool


79. are you still reading?


80. seriously? good.


81. i wouldn't be. i can only read about two sentences on the internet before moving on


82. i don't watch american idol


83. i might start


84. nothing else on tv


85. except jason o'mara, oh mama


86. i love my home office


87. i miss business lunches


88. i drink a lot of diet coke


89. considering i don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs i see no problem with that


90. i love doritos


91. i twitter http://www.twitter.com/emi_babysteals


92. i have brown eyes. i like my brown eyes


93. i do not like my brown hair


94. i love to camp


95. i haven't been camping in years


96. i worry a lot. too much. i am cutting down


97. i have never consumed alcohol


98. never been high


99. no criminal record


100. it's 11:30pm and nowhere near bedtime

wow.

from coolmompicks.com

Breaking news - CPSIA delayed! Your amazing efforts made a difference

According to today's most excellent release from the Consumer Products Safety Commission, the CPSC has done the only common sense thing it could have done, and granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements until February 10, 2010 Which means...

whoo!

Commissioner Nancy Nord in her letter to congress calls it "a time-out." Which is exactly the right thing to do.

To quote the CPSC statement:

Manufacturers and importers large and small of children's products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits... 

The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children's garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards

The stay...does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA.

It's all we've ever really wanted - to protect our kids from lead and other toxins, while being mindful of the good guys who were never a threat in the first place. 

Your emails, calls, and support have been invaluable to so many small businesses. And to us. 

Thank you.

notmama

today i am cheating and quoting my sister, primarily because this little guy is my little guy and would you just look how adorable he is!  don't you want to squish his face?  i'm scheduling appointments, let me know when you're free to squish.



"A couple of weeks ago I went to Utah for a quick visit with family. It was a quick trip but I had a wonderful time. My sister and her 2 boys live there. (along with my parents, brother and other brother and his wife... they are all pretty much there except me). Growing up I never thought Emily and I looked much alike- she was blond, I was brunette...Then I moved to Kentucky and when we would visit I would hear "my, you look like your sister." Emily would come to visit here and get mistaken for me by unsuspecting people at church. Once while at the mall with my twins I even heard "oh, you are a twin and you had twins..." Well now I think we have proof that we look alike.

One night Emily and I had gone to dinner and my Mom babysat all the kids. We got home and I sat on the couch facing sideways towards the door... Emily's little boy,  (who is almost 2) came running inexclaiming "momma! momma!" he gets within 2 ft of me and I turn and smile at him and he gets this horrified look on his face and just nods his head slowly and says "not momma, not momma...."

A couple of other times he mistook me for Emily also. So one night my Dad points at me and asks him, "what's her name?" He quickly responds "not momma!'... Then he would look at me and say "not momma" and look at Emily and say "momma"... So for a whole week I was known as "not momma"... We'll see if it sticks."

new years resolutions in tiny bites

goal for february. don't die.

seriously that's it.  i don't have the energy for much more than that.  and really, it's a good place to be.  just appreciating life as it is, not expecting more, happy with what is.

so, february, i'm ready.

shhhhhhh

don't tell ethan. i think i want a dog.

if you know me right now you're laughing, hard.

i don't like dogs, cats, birds, fish, frogs, hamsters etc etc. well, i shouldn't put it that way.  i don't hate animals, i'm not mean to them.  i just think if you are going to have a dog you should love it. i wouldn't. my biggest hesitation has always been, will i love a dog enough? i think if you own a dog you need to be a dog person. if you are going to take care of an animal you need to be the kind of person who wouldn't want to puke when the animal slobbers, eats or gets goopy eyes.  oh the goopy eyes!

it's my sister in law's fault.  she and my brother have a lab and at first i didn't really like her (the dog not my sister in law).  but, they have trained her so well and she is such a sweet dog and so well behaved (when there isn't a stray stick of butter within her reach!).

shhh, don't tell ethan.

overheard

scene: in the car, sean hannity fills the air
grouchy wife: i'm sorry, i love you, but i only sean hannity 3 minutes love you.
changes station
husband: what? when have i made you listen to sean hannity?
grouchy wife: well, never
husband:  it's only been maybe a minute
grouchy wife: then you have two minutes left to use some other time for the rest of your life. use them wisely.

 

**please note.  grouchy wife's objections apply to all fanatic talk radio hosts.  present company (in the car) excluded of course.

january sucks butt

apparently today i am 3 (see title).

i'm looking for heat people. i am freezing my white january butt off here. i got a peek at the gas bill (on accident, since it's recently been proven my sanity cannot handle seeing the bills, ethan has been keeping them from me to save us both from disaster area emily), since then the heat doesn't come on until i'm so cold i want to squeeze my whole body into the microwave and hit auto defrost for 100+ lbs.

i've never been a shower once a day girl. my hair and skin is so dry it takes me at least 3 days to get greasy so i shower every other day. since october i've showered daily, for the heat. i have very dry skin in the winter and a daily hot shower isn't helping. anyhoo the hot showers are contributing to the gas bill.

do you see now why i hate winter? i don't ski, my house (where i spend 23 hours a day) is cold and i hate wearing coats (i don't like things on the back of my neck: coats, aprons, scarves etc).

hot chocolate, hand warmers, sweaters, gloves, the heat dish, burning junk mail and cuddling a pot of boiling water are the creative solutions i've come up with.

so, please tell me- how do you stay warm in the winter?

i AM a rabbit!

Rabbit Outlook for 2009
Rabbit
1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

Rabbit Overview
The past year may have provided the Rabbit with many challenges and difficult situations, but this year will be a relief. The Rabbit has a very favorable outlook this year. Though it is not part of your usual plan, you may find that being assertive and bold will allow you to achieve unforeseen success. Your attraction to the finer life may lead you to living it. Personal relations are of great value to the Rabbit and will be emphasized throughout the year. Put your best foot forward in the year of the Ox and you will reap many benefits and rewards.

Rabbit Rating
67% (7 favorable and 5 neutral months)

Rabbit Career
This year is one of change. Though the Rabbit is not prone to taking risks, you may benefit greatly from taking bold new steps in finding the career you desire. Complacency in your current job could lead you to such actions. September and October are two months that are favorable for a change. You may want to seek a position that allows you to utilize your social skills and your abilities to relate to people on a personal level. Set your sights high and you will get what you want in this highly favorable year.

Rabbit Relationships
The Rabbit's family and friends will be a source of great pleasure for the you this year. They will offer support, encouragement and will be the wellspring for meaningful and enjoyable times. Personal relations are held in high regard and could be taken to a new level. Rabbits seeking new friends or romance should make an added effort to go out more and come in contact with others-you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

Rabbit Health
The Rabbit should not encounter any major health issues this year, but you may want to take precautions during certain times of the year. The Rabbit's sensitive constitution may leave you vulnerable to colds and flu during the winter months. You may want to get a flu shot during this time and make sure that you get plenty of rest to avoid any setbacks

Rabbit Wealth
The Rabbit should enjoy a new level of wealth. If you are inspired to make a career change, this will prove to be a successful venture financially. You will be particularly pleased with some of your purchases this year, as many could relate to redecorating or changing the appeal of your home. Beware of any risky investments and continue to do the things that accumulate your level of savings.

quick! dinner

and you can get all the ingredients at costco!

1 pizza crust*
pesto
cooked chicken
thinly sliced apples
crasins
feta
pine nuts (toasted)
mozzarella

pile it on, cook it for 15-20 min and enjoy! *you can buy cooked frozen pizza crusts at costco, just ask at the deli.

side note, i missed blogging yesterday, so continue my january resolution i'll be starting over. 30 days beginning today!

hmmm, need to start thinking about my february resolution... any suggestions? something to do with love!

dwight is right

Dwight Schrute:            [talking about their plans at Prince Family Paper] Then we meet at the Denny's and we compare notes.

Michael Scott:            No. No, I never said Denny's. IHOP.

Dwight Schrute:            No. I said Denny's you know how I feel about IHOP

Michael Scott:            Ohh don't start--

Dwight Schrute:            Socialist.

Michael Scott:            I don't-- I don't want to get into this debate again--

Dwight Schrute:            Ok...

Michael Scott:            I enjoy IHOP.

Dwight Schrute:            ...I'll have a cup of coffee.

Michael Scott:            You will have pancakes and you'll like it.

a wall of windows

i watched the incredibles for the 1000th time today,  of all the movies my kids watch i prefer the incredibles.  i am so in love with the parr's house, apparently inspired by Eichler.  I especially love the kitchen.  long spacious counter tops, a wall of windows to look out above the sink and shelves and storage space galore. swoon.

i couldn't find a photo of the kitchen, but i did find these little beauties.

 

our first apartment after getting married was in the basement of a house of a widow of an  architect.  i hated the house, not the design, just the materials and upkeep.  the house was a mess but it was nothing compared to the duplex we moved into years later, built and owned by the same family.  interesting design, certainly designed by the same person, but totally a mess.  the building was falling apart and all the  architectural   wow was lost once i saw a mouse run across the living room floor.  the entire building was wood and as solid as swiss cheese.  puke.  i desperately hated that place.

another interesting architectural note:  did you know the ken garff building in downtown salt lake (main street and 4th s) is historically important because it's one of the finest corporate international style buildings in utah?  i never thought much of the building until i saw the lobby.  stunning.

winter dawn is the color of metal

i think sylvia plath and i had the same opinion of january...

I can taste the tin of the sky --- the real tin thing.
Winter dawn is the color of metal,
The trees stiffen into place like burnt nerves.
All night I have dreamed of destruction, annihilations ---
An assembly-line of cut throats, and you and I
Inching off in the gray Chevrolet, drinking the green
Poison of stilled lawns, the little clapboard gravestones,
Noiseless, on rubber wheels, on the way to the sea resort.

from Waking in Winter
-Sylvia Plath

help me understand…

...minivans.

 i know what you’re thinking; you think i want you to explain to me why anyone would want to own one.  wrong, i want you to explain to me why you wouldn’t want one. 

whaaaaaaaaaat? 

yeah, i want a minvan, and i am not in any way frumpy, lazy, un-cool or from provo.  

i think i understand everyone’s hesitation, but i have a hard time understanding it as anything other than foolish pride.  right?  am i missing something?  is it just parents refusing to admit they do in fact have more than two children and they are no longer, nor will they ever be again, young hip and cool people in a world that is all about them.

forbes.com has a minivan or suv quiz to help you decide which you need.  Question #2: My self-esteem would not allow me to own a minivan. 

even my very good friend who owns a minivan is comforted by the fact her husband told her that even if she drove a mini-van he would always see her as a jeep girl.  what exactly is wrong with being a minivan girl?  

another friend insists that a minivan is like wearing sweats everyday.  like you’ve given up.  given up on what?  given up being selfish.  given up on a life that’s all about you and how “off the chain” you look when you pull out of your driveway? 

seriously.  tell me.  what is so insanely uncool about a minivan?  i dare you to convince me otherwise.

yes we did

world's worst host

my sister flew home today after visiting us for just a few short days.  i got a cold the day she came, it ended the day she left.  coincidence?  i think not! ok, not really…

 am i the only one who has twice as many colds as last year?  and this cough!  good grief!  

help help help. also, help

has anyone potty trained a boy?  successfully?

we started with elliott in august, we're still working on it.  does anyone have any helpful tips?  what worked for you, what didn't?  we're almost desperate, not yet.  most mamas i talk to tell me it's a long haul.

also, poop.  funny word, not funny cleanup.

also curing the january doldrums

from the ohsolovely stephmodo

Is it just me or has it been a tough two weeks? Jan 1 - Jan 14 seemed a bit dreary. Could've been the weather. Could've been just me. Who knows? But, I do know that I'm finally out of it thanks to a few proactive measures. In case you were (or still are) feeling a case of the doldrums too, I shall share them with you today.

uh yeah, january is so very cold and dreary. too her list {read it here} i am going to add...

• get new vitamins. something that makes january less crap-tacular 


• never ever talk to, go near or think about someone i know with a cold. that way i can avoid getting THREE in a row.


• be nicer to my ethan.

let's try this again

hello all!  i'm back to blogging and had a goal to post everyday in january, clearly that hasn't happened.  BUT tomorrow is a new day so i'll start blogging something every day for 30 days!  can you believe it?  daily entertainment for 30 days!

high fidelity

"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music? "

dessert

i searched everywhere for this recipe yesterday.  some how both my mother and i lost it!  it is the ultimate hick dessert and it's just called dessert.  don't try and fancy it up, it's perfect the way it is, spanish fork style.

dessert

1c flour
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c nuts (see how awesome, it just calls for nuts!)

mix and press into 9x13 pan.  bake 350 15 min

8oz cream cheese
1 c powdered sugar
1 c coolwhip

mix and spread on crust while still warm

1 small chocolate instant pudding, use 1/2 c less milk
1 small vanilla instant pudding, use 1/2 c less milk 

2nd and 3rd layer, let one set up before putting on the next one.  chocolate pudding should be on top.

top with coolwhip and chocolate swirls.

eat entire pan in two days, preferably with your very best peeps.

panic levels

i have a new plan for us all.  i came up with it during the holidays (yes, i said the holidays and not christmas.  that is because i am not a big selfish jerk face).  the holidays that just past will now be referred to as the great and terrible holidays of 2008.  great because i got some really fantabulous gifts, so generous and so perfectly thought out.  horrible because i had no gift for half of those people and the gifts i did give were pretty much crap.   which i guess just makes me selfish, i wanted to be the great giver, i wanted to see happy faces.  not just mine.  hmmmm, think about that for a minute.  which gift is greater?

i just couldn't get my crap together.  which brings me to my idea.  we need panic level signs.  on our houses, our cars perhaps our foreheads.  so when erin gave me a digital camera and alison gave me emily jones soda and i gave them nothing, they would understand when they saw that my panic level was high and quickly forgive me.  knowing that someday their panic level would be high when mine isn't and i could pay them back.  if the sign was on my front door my neighbors who brought lovely gifts would understand that i had nothing (except a few cookies my mom cooked) for them.  because of my panic level and all.  

see?  wouldn't that make it easier?  someone cuts you off in traffic, you may forgive them if you knew what panic level they were. right?  maybe.

anyhoo, panic level around here is high, cause i can't get my crap together.  if anyone has seen my crap please let me know.  i keep loosing it and i'd really like to get it all in one place.  gracias.

i hate winter

yep.  totally.  the holidays are great, so i guess we need to keep november and december, but i think we should totally kick january and february out of the calendar year.  all gone, buh bye.

seriously, what good are they?  cold, miserable, dark, long and depressing (especially february if you're single), kill 'em.  nobody will miss them.

oh wait.  skiing.  and snowboarding (mostly snowboarding).  mmm, maybe we'll keep them.  but probably not.

the little cutie in the photo is drew, the little ball of bzzzzzzzzzzzzz that never stops.  she's only 24 hours younger than my 1st and 24 times more likely to wear you out.  her mama is an expert photographer and she doesn't even know it.  love it alison, almost makes me want to keep stupid smug january and february.  almost.

sometimes i'm a good mom

yes, everything on the plate is processed food.  

except the cheese airplanes and really applesauce isn't that bad.  

and the hot dogs are kosher!

anyhoo, the boys were overly excited to eat it and that's the important thing.

 

*these plates are from friday night, nothing this fancy happened today!

moved again

is anyone still reading this? sorry about the bouncing around.

new year new blog. kind of. moved here.

and we're back....

this year i am once again trying bite-sized resolutions.  not one for the whole year, just a tiny one each month.

this month.  blog!

waaaaaaay back in 1999 i started a blog at janebejane.com (don't go there it's not mine anymore).  since then it's been a little off and on for me and blogging.  mostly off.  but i decided to return and i want to know, why do you blog?

i blog for two reasons. first, i've never had a great memory.  i think it's because i have a very short attention span.  short.  dates are hard for me to remember (i had to call network solutions to find out when i first registered janebejane.com) my high school friends frequently tell me about things i've done that i don't recall at all.  p.s i've never had a drink.  so, i blog to remember.  now that i have kids that's even more important.  it's very hard to keep track of things and a blog is a great way to quickly jot it down.

second, i love to read blogs.  since i work from home i am home.  a lot.  today a quote from marge (simpson) has been bouncing around in my head- "you can run from me, i spend 23 hours a day in this house".  sad but true.  blogs are my window to the outside world.  don't get me wrong, i adore working from home, but having something to stimulate the creative side of my brain is very very cherished.  i have been selfish lately.  reading blogs, stealing happiness.  now it's my turn.  this month i plan on blogging something at least once a day.  as is my style i am already behind since today is the 2nd and it's nearly over!  but that leads to another tiny year long resolution, to tell myself no matter what is left undone at the end of the day, i am not a failure.  

so... why do you blog?