some bullets

*Helped out in Cam's class today. Each time he would pass me, he would say "Hola, mom!". He now says, "Hola!" to basically anyone he sees (it's from Handy Manny).

*Modern Family has got to be the funniest show on TV.

*I would highly recommend this toy. Cam got it for Christmas. It's great for the car. The little Caterpillar reads the book when you point it to the pages. You can also point to objects in the book and play games.



*Had a salad for dinner with some leftover feta cheese from my meatballs last night. So tasty! Feta has so much flavor!

*We are headed out to the Camarillo area this weekend to our aunt's condo. Will head to Santa Barbara on Sunday. We are excited to have something to do for the weekend as they can get kind of long. The week is filled with parks and trips to the store, so we often find ourselves wanting something different for the weekend.

*I'm watching The Bachelor for the first time this season. While I think many of the girls are a little pathetic, the premise a little cheesy, and the whole concept unrealistic (finding a wife that fast?), I'm officially addicted. I called my friend, Jen, today to discuss this week's episode. It reminded me of our high school days. We LOVED Lois and Clark and would always call each other right after the show to discuss.

*I think I could kiss Kendall's fat cheeks for an hour straight and not get tired of it.

*I blogged a while back about the jeans I tried on at Buckle and how much I loved them. I tried them on again this past weekend to get the size/style. I made an attempt at Ebay, but I still just can't bite the bullet and spend $80 on jeans. Maybe someday.

day

7:00 Both kids wake (woohoo for sleeping in!)
7-7:45 Breakfast and get ready for school
7:45 Chris and Cam leave for school. Chris then heads to get some breakfast and get an old phone we have reactivated because I dropped mine in the bath last night. :(
7:45-9:30 Entertain/keep Kendall awake. This includes changing rooms for a change of scenery and toys and sitting in the back of our SUV with the hatch up (she likes to sit and play with toys while staring outside)
9:30-10:45 Kendall naps (hooray for long nap!). While she naps, I have my quiet time (I'm trying to do this first thing during her first nap...trying), clean, and watch a little of some Tivo'd Gilmore Girls
10:45 I leave to pick up Cam
11:00 Off to Costco (in two cars) for lunch and a few purchases. These weekly trips are even more fun now that they have a playhouse on display. Cam LOVES this. :) Chris also observes a girl shoplift an $80 bottle of Tequila (he reported it, but they didn't catch her). Favorite sample: Kettle Corn
1:00 Chris takes Kendall home while I take Cam to the mall to play in the indoor play area. Also treat him to a few things from Sweet Factory.
2:30 We arrive home and play until Kendall wakes
3:15-4:00 Cam has "special room time" while Kendall and I play with toys
4:00 Cam watches a movie while I take Kendall to the grocery store to get some ingredients for...

Tapas Meatballs with Orange Marmalade



Pretty good, but a lot of work. I gave it an 8.5. Chris, an 8.

5:00 Kendall and Cameron take a bath together
5:30 Kendall goes down for bed, Cameron eats dinner
6:00 Playtime with Cam: Puzzle, read, play on computer
6:45 Chris puts him down while I finish up dinner
Ahhhh...dinner and catch up on some Tivo (Friday Night Lights, to be specific)

day off

This morning on the radio the DJ said, "It is a wet one out there. If you have the day off from work, it's a great day to snuggle up with some hot chocolate and watch movies."

I turned to Kendall and said, "Looks like I should be getting the day off from work today. Can I snuggle up and watch movies all day in bed?". I think her blank stare was a definite "NO".

Hmmm..."Cameron, today I'm supposed to be off from work. Can I stay in bed and watch movies?". His look said, "I don't think so, mom. But look on the bright side, I have an ear infection and should be extra cheerful today!" (in his defense, after some Tylenol, he really has been quite fine).

Ahhh...staying at home.

hair cut

What on earth am I supposed to do with this mop? There is no way I want to spend $15 on a hair cut for an 8 month old. However it really gets in her eyes and hangs over her ears. I know I would butcher it if I tried, but I'm thinking that might be my only option. Hmmm...

Unrelated to Kendall's spazzy hair, last night my parents came out to babysit while Chris and I went out to dinner. Romanos. Penne Gorgonzola. Oh my. Anyway, I thought this was so precious to see right before we left.

beautiful?

So Jessica nominated me for a "Beautiful Blogger Award" and I have to come up with some random things about myself. But let's back up. Beautiful? Is this referring to my layout? Because Jessica, let's be honest, my template is a standard one by blogger. Not too pretty. But thanks, and I'll still do the random thoughts! :)

1. I used to have the same lunch every day of the week back when I worked as a secretary. Chicken Salad sandwich. I find that I can literally have the same thing days on end and not get tired of it, which is funny considering how much I love to cook.

2. I don't like crafts. If I had to be good at something "crafty", it would be sewing. I would love to sew my own clothes. But honestly, sometimes the fabric and pattern can cost more than a shirt at Target!

3. I have some strange resistance to joining Facebook. I enjoy blogging because it's more personal and you can write more. I don't want to add one more thing to my computer time. I will say one thing about Facebook (from peeking on Chris's account), which is that those quizzes about what superhero you would be have got to be the silliest things I've ever read.

4. I have NEVER had a chocolate dessert that is too rich or that, "Oh, I can only take one bite!". I challenge anyone to give me a recipe or direct me to a restaurant dessert that would be too rich.

5. Our loft upstairs is designated as the "toy area", meaning I don't care that toys are spread across the room 24/7. But in other places of the house (like the living room), I HATE for toys to be left out. I'll usually clean them up during nap time, even though I know they'll come right back out an hour later.

6. One time I left my wallet on top of my car at a gas station. Stupid. Another time I left it in the front compartment of my grocery cart. Again, stupid.

7. I used to think The Duggars (the family with 19 kids) were a little too cheesy. However the more I watched them, the more respect I gained for the parents. Those are some of the most well mannered kids I've ever seen. Kudos to them.

thoughts

Right now Chris is at Walmart with both kids. It's nice to have a little time. Overall, Cameron is truly the most fun, cute, obedient, silly little boy I could ever want. But there are often times I find myself frustrated and discouraged. I have a lot of guilt for having these feelings. I know, all kids make their moms go nuts sometimes. But those things are "typical" things such as tantrums, not sharing, etc. Because some of the things I have a hard time with are issues that Cam can't control, I feel badly that they get to me.

I'm not going to go into what they are because I feel like that would be disrespectful, in a sense, to him as my son. Why post actions that frustrate me when he has no control over them? But I will say that sometimes I feel like I wish he would throw tantrums, and that those would be our only struggle and something he would grow out of. But that isn't our reality. Things he deals with will get better, but might not ever fully be gone.

On a side note, isn't it interesting that even when you are so frustrated with one of your children, it really only takes about 15 minutes of time away from them to calm down and actually start missing them? By the time they get back from Walmart, I'll be ready to see my little man. I love that.

spaghetti

Tonight I made spaghetti. Looks pretty good, huh?



The secret is that the noodles you see are actually strands of spaghetti squash. I made this a long time ago and decided to give it another try. It's super easy. After putting the halved squash in the microwave, I just shredded it onto the plate. The best part? 1 cup of pasta has 200 calories. 1 cup of squash has 40! :)

I loved it. Chris? Not so much. But keep in mind that he is REALLY not a vegetable guy. So if you like vegetables (or at least can tolerate them), you should give this a try. :)