Hop to It

Where have I been? Not updating the blog, that's for sure. The Tyke and I have been trying to get the most out of what is left of the warm weather and have been spending as much time as possible out and about. And considering it's snowed already, we've decided we may be about done having fun in the sunshine for the season. That's the thing about snow in October. The entire month is a mad dash to do the things you didn't get around to doing in the summer and then - BAM! - the snow has to make an appearance. And it's not so much to bring in the winter as to show you who's boss when it comes to outdoor activities. I swear that the day I looked out and saw the snow falling, I could distinctly hear "Neener, neener, neener!" being chanted over and over outside my window.

The Tyke doesn't realize what's in store once winter officially arrives, so he is just enjoying the zoo, scarecrow festival, deer check station, and all the fun outside without a care in the world. Except for maybe when he will be getting another bag of fruit snacks.





When I'm not busy squeezing out the last few drops of summer, work fills up the rest of my days, with few surprises. Although yesterday, a few of us went to an Excel training workshop downtown (which, btw, was completely pointless and made me wish I was back at work). When we took a break for lunch, we walked into the lobby and saw a guy standing there holding a baby kangaroo in his arms, complete with a pink collar and Cinderella diaper. I have to admit, the phrase I would have least expected to hear come out of my mouth that day was "Holy crap, is that a baby kangaroo?" But there it was. Then again, I take that back. It was the second to last thing I would expect to hear myself say BESIDES the unholy combination of words that are, "Sarah Palin for president." I'm thinking I better watch my mouth just in case any other surprises happen and my brain suddenly suffers from political amnesia.

Even if the guy holding the workshop had done a better job, he still wouldn't have stood a chance next to Roxy the kangaroo. And who knows? After the way she stole the limelight from the man who was originally meant to be the main focus of attention, maybe Roxy could make a run for president vice president in the next election. As long as she doesn't talk about her kangaroo friend "Joey the plumber" too much.

Favorite Things - Fall 2009 Edition

1) Tortillaland Uncooked Flour Tortillas. I don't know why this didn't occur to me sooner. These are so quick and easy to cook up and they taste SO much better than ones that are already cooked. I'll never go back to the ready to eat kind, it's that big a difference. I will, admit that Riley was the one who originally bought these and I didn't immediately realize they were uncooked when I took out the first one and made a quesadilla for The Tyke. I've never seen a more perfect mingling of confusion, amazement, and laughter than I saw in Riley's face when I asked him what was wrong with the tortillas.



2)Halloween Stores. Do I need to explain this one? I love everything about these stores from the smell to the scary background music to the inappropriate costumes. And I'm not the only one who loves it. The Tyke got so into the Halloween spirit when we were shopping at one of the stores that he didn't want to leave. Of all the scary things in the store that day, nothing was quite so frightening as a toddler throwing a tantrum.


3) My BB Dakota Jacket. I bought this jacket in brown 2 years ago and have loved it. So comfortable and perfect for fall. That said, I seriously considered removing it from this favorite things edition because, after looking online for pictures of it to post here, I have since discovered it has been dubbed the "Twilight jacket" because Bella wore it in that TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, PAINFULLY AWFUL movie. Even though the jacket has now been tainted by association, I can't completely reject it because something about it keeps me coming back for more. Not unlike how I feel about the Twilight books, actually. Metaphor, anyone?


4) Peggy's Premium Edamame. I buy these in the frozen section of Costco. Surprised? Of course not. I love edamame in general, but I love THIS particular kind because it's packaged in little individual bags of edamame that you just cut a slit in and throw in the microwave for 2 minutes. It works perfectly for me because not only is it simple to fix at work with no dishes/boiling water to worry about, but it's easy to just grab one from the freezer on my way out the door in the morning. Plus, they are fun to eat and if you squeeze the beans out of the pods just right, you can shoot them at your coworkers.


5) Muse. Great band. I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about music and I don't have very eclectic taste. But- I do know what I like and I love love love Muse. And to quote Heather, "Is is bad that I feel like they are more legitimate because they are English?"

Overstimulated

Taking your kid to the grandparents' house is always a special event for any mom. Highlights include another set of eyes to watch The Tyke, a new house to keep him occupied for a full 5 seconds, and a chance to relax and just enjoy being around people who are required to like you.

For The Tyke, going to his grandparents' house is the toddler equivalent of a frat party. The house is a mess in no time, he's all hopped up on cookies and juice, and he ends up wandering around in a daze without his pants on. The Tyke also has several attractive women to fawn all over him, depending on how many sorority sisters-in-law are around.



A full day of partying does eventually catch up with him, however, and I was lucky enough to capture it on video when The Tyke started to come crashing down from the sugar high.



It's just too bad I didn't have my camera around for the chocolate milk bong.

Phase I

The backyard remodel has officially begun. Well, it actually begun a month ago when Riley decided to tear out the back deck. We've been talking about ripping out the backyard and starting over ever since we bought our house, but I have to admit I was surprised when Riley suddenly mentioned to me in passing a few weeks ago that he'd be tearing out the deck the next weekend. Like it was no big deal, he just had the urge to demolish something and maybe I should make sure The Tyke wasn't outside that morning in case he lost a limb.



The deck was taken out pretty quickly. Maybe a little too quickly, because I remember having the distinct feeling of "Now what?" for the next week. Which turned into "Now what's taking so long?" the week after that when we had no deck, yet hadn't done anything else to get the project going. That's when we called in the big guns. In yard work terms, the 'big guns' means a rental tractor to tear out all the remaining grass and till the yard. I thought The Tyke would love riding on it. Turns out, he wasn't such a big fan, however, I was able to get him to sit in it when it wasn't moving so I could have an excuse to be up there and play with all the levers and buttons.

Once the grass came out, Riley and whoever he could bribe and/or blackmail into participating started working like crazy to get the rest of the yard tilled up and the concrete patio put down.




We even managed to get The Tyke to put his handprint in the cement. And yes, that is 'handprint' singular because when we put his left hand in, he grabbed a glob of cement in his fist. Because going along with what the parents want is apparently not as entertaining as giving Riley a heart attack after hours of laying and smoothing the cement. Needless to say, my plan to also put Dixie's paws in the cement was quickly rejected after The Tyke's little maneuver. It will be yet another item I will add to the list of Things to be Bitter About, right after 'The cancellation of Arrested Development' and 'Leggings'.



All in all, the yard is coming along, and I'm excited for it to be finished in the next week. After saying that, I should probably knock on wood so I don't jinx myself. Unfortunately, now that the deck is gone, I no longer have any.

Back for More

For the small handful of people that actually read this, I will get back to blogging more often, however, for now, you'll just have to deal with pictures of The Tyke. Call it laziness, call it a lack of inspiration, or call it a brain completely fried from long work days, a 1 1/2 year old, and the backyard remodeling project from hell. I call it My Life Right Now.

In the meantime, this is what The Tyke has been doing...

Studying...


Conducting business...


Dishwashing...


Fading...

Eleven

We finally found just the right car to fit our needs that is also fun to drive. Unfortunately, that means I am now the official owner of a Mom Car. Requirements: car seat, animal cracker remnants on the floor, a box of kleenex in the back window, and a tree car freshener hanging from the rear view mirror. And for the Outback edition of the Mom Car image to be complete, please include a Starbucks in the cup holder, a pair of Merrells (Birkenstocks also acceptable) and a golden retriever in the back.

I hope I can still respect myself in the morning.