Una Buena Fiesta

The Tyke turned 2 last Thursday. For his birthday this year, he ended up celebrating 3 times. Once at daycare, once at The Compound with Mama Jean, Roberto, and my family, and once with Riley's family in Lehi. I'm sure The Tyke didn't mind, but even I, She-Who-Must-Have-Sugar-Or-Will-Immediately-Die-In-The-Most-Agonizingly-Painful-Way-From-Withdrawals, have reached my birthday cake limit.

Which makes me feel compelled to mention...do you know what happens to brand new 2 year olds who are given birthday cake and treats regularly several days in a row? Do you know what happens to their mothers? Euphoria and Armageddon, respectively. That's what happens. It's days later and I can't hear The Tyke's sweet little voice asking me for some "Can-ny?" without having the urge to duck and cover under the kitchen table and brace for disaster when I tell him no.

Despite the fall-out, the actual birthday celebration(s) were very fun. We threw a big fiesta-themed party at The Compound last weekend. Though I didn't go as overboard as last year with the decorations, a trip to the party store with Heather resulted in the purchase of a few party items I couldn't pass up. I made labels in Spanish and put them on a bunch of random items in the house, Mama Jean and Riley cooked some awesome dishes (special thanks to Riley's Mexican friend at work who gave him the recipe for authentic carne asada and spanish rice) and watching Dixie's exchange with the giant piñata provided the entertainment.

Since pictures are always the most sought after part of the blog (Hi, Mom!), I figured I would just put them all together in a slide show. Diviértanse!

Givin' it Away for Free

My good friend, Barb, has a blog. You should read it, she's fabulous. Especially since she even mentioned me once. So, now I feel validated.

Besides having excellent taste in friends, she is also a fantastic photographer who just so happens to be having a giveaway on her blog. Check it out.

Favorite Things - Winter 2010 Edition

1) The Perfect Brownie Baking Pan. I got this for Christmas from my brother-in-law and his wife and found that it was everything I hoped it would be and more! I love it and the perfectly sized little brownie babies it makes. Why should I be surprised? The TV told me that would happen. And we all know TV never lies.


2) The song 'Just Breathe' by Pearl Jam. I dare you to listen to this song and not sigh with contentment. Lyrics, style, music- everything about this song just does it for me. It's one of those sweet songs that makes your insides go 'Ahhhh...' and gives you the urge to run through fields of wildflowers in slow motion in the rain with no coat, no shoes and without anything in particular to do besides just be. And then you snap out of it to discover your kid has decided to just be in the kitchen pantry where he can steal marshmallows.


3) Mi Ranchito Restaurant. Why is it so hard to find really good Mexican food? Anyone? Since the demise of Casa Melinda in Bountiful (may it rest in peace), it's been almost impossible for me to find a Mexican place I really love. I discovered Mi Ranchito when I lived in Orem and it helped me get through those long and painful years in the heart of Happy Valley. Lucky for me, there is also a restaurant in American Fork by my house and one in Sandy by my work, so it's easy to get my chicken chimichanga fix whenever I need it. And the best part is, I will never again have to go down into the abyss of Orem/Provo in order to eat there.


4) My Outback. Now I understand what true love feels like, and I am not ashamed. I will stand proudly next to my partner and proclaim my love for it until the day I die. Social mores be damned!


5) Walter Russell Mead's blog at The American Interest Online. The main reason I love this blog is because it talks about relevant issues and it's not boring. GASP! Walter Russell Mead is a such a great writer and he picks some incredibly interesting and compelling topics. I love that he is so obviously a history buff and weaves that knowledge into his posts. For me, reading his blog is like the online equivalent to exercising since he makes me think and gets the gears in my brain moving to work off all the celebrity gossip fluff that has accumulated there over the years. And even though I admit to indulging in the guilty pleasure that is people.com, I can't make it through the day without getting my recommended daily allowance of Walter Russell Mead's blog.

Exercise? Discipline? Affirmative.

So...a new year. Now that all the fun and excitement of the holidays has completely worn off and we are entering the soul-crushing, frozen hell that is late January and February in Utah, I've been thinking a lot about the goals I want to set for myself and where I want to be by this time next year (which is, hopefully, passed out on a beach in Hawaii).

Since keeping actual New Year's Resolutions is impossible not easy for me, I've decided to take the advice of my good friend, Barb, and choose a word to help steer me through this next year. And, you will be shocked to discover that my word is not a profanity (though The Swears have always and will continue to serve me well through many years to come).

Even though I didn't officially define 2009's word, looking back I realize that the theme of the year was 'Explore'. And I did. And because of that, The Tyke and I were able to have moments like this:



and this:



and, of course, this:



I hope that we aren't even close to being finished with our exploring, but I've decided that with all the playing that's been happening, there are other important things that I have been neglecting. So with that in mind, and in honor of The Tyke entering his Terrible Two's in a couple days, my word for 2010 is going to be "Discipline".

Discipline in making sure I provide active mothering to The Tyke so that we can enjoy more adventures this year. Discipline in the way I work. Discipline in working out. Discipline in taking care of things around the house so I can enjoy playtime without guilt (if the day ever comes where I happen to feel guilty for playing). Discipline in the way I conduct myself so that I don't have to do damage control after saying something thoughtless. And discipline in making sure that my life is in decent enough shape so that spontaneity can always override discipline.

Secret Ingredient

I was wondering why no one ever seems to want to come over for dinner...

'Nuff Said

This is possibly the best television clip of all time. Thank you, Jon Stewart, for consistently bringing The Funny. I do have to say, though, I don't know what's worse: the total incompetence of the people in charge for not preventing this situation, or the fact that the only place I feel like I can get an accurate news report is on a cable comedy show.

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