why i live in st. george

when it's 120,000,000 degrees outside in august, it's these winter days i remember....

yesterday it was 80 degrees. suppossed to be 75-80 ish this weekend.... he he he he



come down, oh ye people burdenend with snow--you should be staying here

hope your weekend is wicked tight! (see slang term of the day)

why can't they smell good all of the time?

one day five years ago i went into the nursery after church to get abbey. when i leaned down to pick her up, another little girl walked right in front of me and i got a big whiff of her hair. i was in love, instantly. i asked her mom why her hair smelled so great and my child's head just smelled like recess and she told me her secret: suave spray gel. yes, suave--dirt cheap and alot of bang for the buck.

i spray it quite liberally on my girl's hair when it is wet after bathing and i have found that it really doesn't work like gel--mostly it just makes their hair smell cleaner. while they are young, i like that i can use something inexpensive, because i know the dollars are gonna start adding up as they get older. my favorite scent is ocean breeze, and i find it at walmart or harmons. i just wish i could figure out how to keep them in saran wrap or a ziplock baggie of some sort so they would still smell good when they come home all sweaty from school--will someone please invent something for that? they would be a billionaire.

i like shiny things

i know there is a bird called the magpie that is attracted to only shiny, glittery things. it has been known to steal rings or jewelry off windowsills or tables. raccoons are also drawn in by bling (see slang term of the day) and also want to steal it and keep it for themselves. there is no doubt in my mind that i could hang with that crowd because i am a sucka for anything that glitters or shines or reflects light. pretty much i like anything that a 12 year old girl would purchase at the mall.

if it shines like a disco ball, i'm IN. i know this is lame for a 38 year old adult female, but bling brings me joy. the purses in the photo is what megan gave me for valentine's day because she knew i would love the big pink diamond zipper-pulls (which are REAL diamonds, btw. that's how megan rolls.) i thought they were so cute and the best part about it is that they are from wal-mart which equals cha-eeaap!

why i love the spectrum...still

still love my small town paper for two reasons:


1. that they are going to promote a group who's hairstylist time-traveled back from the early 90's (i wonder if they used my brush?? hmmmmmmm.)



2. where else can you hear about a real-life scalping in the 21st century? you can't make this stuff up! btw i am never getting in a go-kart at fiesta fun ever again. the end.

wentworth miller for president

okay, let me sing the praises of wentworth miller for a few moments.....ahhhh, you little boy--i could spread you on toast and eat you for breakfast!!

wentworth is the star of the fox television series "prison break". now, i've heard about it off and on for the last couple of years, but it wasn't until i saw it on ashlynn's blog and heard her say how much they were digging it that i thought i would give it a try. i think it took me all of 8 minutes into the pilot to buy in hook, line, and sinker. i figure we are about the last people on planet earth to discover it, but for the three people who are either don't have tivo or live under a rock, let me break it down for you just one time: older-buff brother has been convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and is on death row in prison awaiting execution. younger , smoldering-sex brother--my man wentworth--just so happened to be the structural engineer for the prison older brother is incarcerated in. (who would have thought? hey--it could happen....) smoldering- sex concocts an extensive scheme to break older-buff out, but first smoldering must rob a bank so that he can be thrown in the joint with buff, and then execute his elaborate plans with amazing calmness and steel-blue eyes.....(sigh.) i must admit that we are just a little bit obsessed.

okay, so you have to have a little suspension of disbelief at times, but we can't seem to stop watching and are almost done with the first season. the theme can be a bit mature at times--hey, this isn't especially for youth byu session.....these boys are prisoners, after all. if you want to borrow season one from me let me know as i highly suggest it-- it's rocked our world! , i think the man is easy on the eyes, but i wouldn't be his biggest fan in this house--that would be this thirteen-year old girl:

katie thinks that perhaps if she gets good grades and helps babysit we will fly him out for homecoming when she turns sixteen. she can hardly see him onscreen without bursting into full-worship mode and makes little sounds like "heh-heh-heh-heh" accompanied by ALOT of comments of "he's so dang HOT!!" he has now officially replaced edward cullen as her computer screen saver. ummmmm....i don't know if you can understand the magnitude of that statement: He Replaced Edward Cullen.


i think she would like to take him home and keep him for our family pet.

rob and fab 4eva!

the awesomely bad video of the week:


i am not ashamed to admit that i TOTALLY had milli vanilli's tape my first year in college--these guys were seriously one of the best examples of marketing a product in the history of the world. there were quite a few breathtaking milli videos to choose from, and i had a hard time narrowing it down to this one, but i couldn't resist their euro-trash moves and how super tough and hardcore they were in this particular one. if you have time to spare, you should get on youtube and see "girl you know it's true" and "blame it on the rain"--they represent everything that was horribly bad and horribly good about the late 80's/early 90's all rolled up into one delicious package.
in this one, check out about 15 seconds in when they get all gangsta.
rob and fab 4eva!

ode to rbc

i just wanted to write this little love note to my man--here are six things i love about russ:

*he lets me put my cold feet on his legs when i get into bed

*he makes me an omelette for breakfast every morning

*if mine or the girls hands are cold, he will cup them and hold his hands around them and blow hot air into them--works like a charm!

*he works a dress-shirt and tie like NOBODY'S BUSINESS! awwwhhh yeeeahhh

*he likes to take rides with me in the car and turn the radio up loud and just belt it out

*he is a hopeless romantic in a time where hopeless romantics are hard to come by

i love rbc!

scrubba-dubba

something about these laundry room prints calls to me and says "buy me". unfortunately for me, i can't afford them as they cost mad (see slang term of the day) cheddar.

they are from ballard designs--check them out here

an open letter to the publishers of us weekly

dear us weekly,

please, please PLEASE stop printing this magazine that i love more than my own life--i have come to depend on it's existence to justify my own, and i need to cut my umbilical cord that leads straight to your pages.

the money i spend on your publication each year should be going into my four children's college education fund. instead, i have told them to learn phrases like "would you like to make that a combo meal?" and "housekeeping? housekeeping?" as i know that not a dime from my subscription fund will make it into their accounts.

i wish you would no longer tempt me with just the right amount of fluff, hollywood gossip and photos of shallow celebrities, while not burdening me with excessive amounts of time-consuming stories about people who fought terminal illness or heroes who saved someone's life. if you would no longer print stories about britney's hair extensions or heidi and spencer's romantic valentine's day yacht jaunt or what joey fatone's red carpet checklist was, i would be able to give you up for good.


but you continually ensnare me with articles like this one about our own beehive state's rehab facility in sundance:

editors, do you realize that by making rehab sound like an exclusive, vip-only resort that it makes me want to have an intervention of my very own, so that i could jet on cirque's private helicopter and take yoga classes with eva and kirsten and lindsay?? surely it has come to your attention that by giving me an article like this:

only reinforces my downward shame-spiral by the fact that i have NOT received my anti cellulite body scrub and wrap, and that my cellulite called and told me it was "here to stay, for like ever!"

so i am begging you, good people of us weekly --please start printing photos of hillary clinton's presidential campaign and articles outlining the food-pyramid and it's nutritional benefits. if you would be so kind as to review only independent pre-worldwar two german films with no subtitles and documentaries that showcase duck hunters and their fascinating world of thigh-high waders, i would no longer find myself a slave to your pages. only then can i move on with my life and make good on the promise to quit you for forever. until then i remain

your dysfunctional, co-dependant friend,

mindi

spencer + scooter + minivan = BAD

the only downside to our rockstar vegas overnight was some scary news we got saturday afternoon that sent us home in a hurry--jody's son spencer, had decided to play "spencer on motor-scooter vs. minivan" which resulted in a broken femur, surgery at drmc, and mild concussion. what could have been potentially so bad and life-altering was, gratefully, avoided and spencer came out like the champ he is. although navigating life with crutches and a wheelchair for the next 8 weeks is gonna be a nightmare, we are so happy and thankful that it all turned out okay!! spencer has earned bragging rights to the title "BMOC" with his ride in the ambulance and tuff cast--way to "represent", spini!! we love you bud------

it's vegas, baby!

do's and don't's of vegas:

1. do stay with your best friends in fierce hooked-up hotel with a waterfall

2. do pack unreasonable amount of shoes (4 pairs) and clothing (4 changes) for less than 24 hrs

3. do eat outside at italian cafe with view of strip and the wynn

4. do make new bff's at concert with inebriated couples surrounding you as they are the most entertainment for your concert dollar (besides the concert itself which straight killed it)

5. don't choose this moment with new bff's for the first discussion (maybe later? okay)

6. don't get into middle of testosterone filled mosh pit appearing at the bottom of the stage

7. do pay 8 dollars for a bottle of water at hard rock hotel

8. don't wait in line for 35 minutes behind 300 other guests for a cab--just make a deal with iranian limo owner and 4 strangers to share a limo back to hotel for 8 bucks each. (yay steve!)

9. don't hesitate to snuggle up with new bff jean in backseat (work it jared!)

10. do sing journey's "don't stop believing" at the top of your lungs with new bff's when limo driver cranks it up (ahh yeahh russ!)

11. do go to swanky nightclub for best people-watching ever. EVAHH.

12. do see ufc champ "rampage jackson" at booth with lots 'o ladies--gaze, starstruck and wish you could get fighting tips from him

13. don't leave jody alone on the dance floor as she will be pounced on by many cougar-hunters, ready for the kill

14. do shake it "low, low, low, low...." but dont wear "apple-bottom jeans, and the boots with the fur..." (cuz there are WAY too many girls wearing that outfit already. ohhhhh yes.)

15. do get some good ideas for extreme halloween costumes

16. don't even THINK that your feet aren't gonna hurt like the mother of all hurts

17. do fall into bed, exhausted, but with "rockstar" vegas weekend" checked off your to-do list!

WORD! (see slang term of the day)

simplify

russ and i went to a few of the parade of homes yesterday. we saw the one up by green springs that was 21,000 square feet and it was spectacular. it had two movie theaters, a bowling alley, spa room, massage room, 10 bathrooms, 7 bedrooms---you get the idea. and did i mention that it was TWENTY-ONE THOUSAND SQUARE FEET? it lacked for nothing.

anyway, after we saw it russ made this observation and i thought he was right on:


lot in northbridge estates: $850,000.00


21,000 sq. foot 7 bedroom, 10 bathroom home: $3,500,000.00


furnishings for 21,000 sq. feet 'o home: $1,375,000.00




displaying a decorative sign in your massive

laundry room that says "SIMPLIFY" : priceless

she's going the distance

i just saw this on a blog and my mouth hurts from smiling so much. this is what i need to train my children to do-- their mom would be bursting with pride!! the song is "going the distance" by cake. my particular favorite part is about 40ish seconds in when she goes for the chorus with gusto like i've never seen before. plus, the hand actions that accompany? the best ever!

this little girl rocks--just like dewey finn from "school of rock", she is "-servicing society by rocking, OK? she's out there on the front lines liberating people with her music!-"

mia+sharpie=BAD

we have all of our old family photos hanging on a wall in our basement. i never liked the thought of getting a new picture and then having to put the other perfectly good picture down like an old horse--especially the 16x20 family photo that i had laid out a chunk of change for. therefore, we hang them up and it's fun to see how our family has increased over the years or to wonder when i thought it was a good idea to wear a velvet dress.

mia wasn't so into that idea--a few months ago she took a black sharpie and, standing on the back of the big red couch, went down the line and scribbled on every single one she could be within arm's length of. when seeing the fruits of her labors, i of course FREAKED. to put it mildly, you could say that i had beef with that child in a very big way. (see slang term of the day.)

i don't quite know what to do about them--i don't dare try to rub it off with something strong as i think i would ruin them more (as if that were possible). some of them are on canvas with a texture, etc. and i don't even wanna know how much it would cost to restore them. so they hang still on the wall, as mia's marker masterpieces.

i have a theory that she did it because she was acting out in anger at the fact that we don't have a single picture with her in it on the wall yet. naughty girl.

does anyone know what i should do with these lovelies? help.

"do you love your monkey, or do you love me??"

okay, here is the AWESOMELY BAD video of the week. this one takes me right back to my senior year of high school. check how he totally plays (see slang term of the day) all of those screaming, teenage females during the concert clips. he is WORKING IT big time and you have gotta give the man credit for all that extra effort. i used to think george michael was such a babe-- too bad i didn't know then that he only liked boys.

i so dig the way he dances in this video. paul ford could do the exact moves g.m. was pulling, and we used to beg him at the stomps to perform for us.
BTW i am sooo getting russ a black hat and some suspenders--

tramp stamp

this is why i love my sister, loni. she willingly sends me a website where i can design pictures specifically for my blog, even though she knows it might make her want to throw up in her mouth a tiny little bit. i loveloveLOVE the one she created for me:

nothing says "class and refinement" like a tramp stamp!! i think this is gonna represent big time for the blog--you, too can have a lower-back tat for your own. http://www.imagechef.com/

oooohhhh, i am going to have way too much fun with this---loni, you rule!! thanks for making my whole day! i love you!

"and i'd like to thank the academy..."

that is seriously how i feel right now--like i should have a speech prepared with a list of people to thank for helping me get this major award. actually, in utah, this might be better than accepting an oscar. after all, i have heard rumors of other mothers who did not have their children's scrapbook up to date just mysteriously disappearing in the middle of the night without a trace....and nobody mentions their names again.

184 pages. ONEHUNDREDANDEIGHTYFOUR FREAKIN' PAGES!!!!! if i never see another piece of cardstock again it will be too damn soon. (profanity only allowed on this blog in reference to scrapbooking. or "scrap'n" as those in the know would call it.) i can't even THINK of posting one of my pages for review here, though. i don't want to be shunned by everyone and called bad names and have people not let their kids play with mine.

problem is, these are only two of my children's books. i have two more to do. it still sucks to be me right now......

but, for a moment, i am gonna chillax and not be within a fifty-foot radius of a paper cutter.

lessons i have learned from my scrapbooking purgatory:

1. use all your old stuff that you already have before even stepping foot in pebbles or other various scrapbook stores. once you do that, the game is over, my friend. you will throw out everything you have and buy all new and improved supplies. i had to physically restrain myself from "re-doing" some of the pages i had just done for abbey. like 6 days bef0re. i have a theory that it's totally a conspiracy concocted by the paper powers-that-be. fight the power!
2. take whatever dollar amount you think you are working with and times it by 10. then double that amount, and add an extra 50 bucks and you should be in the ball park.

3. make your husband think that what you are doing is a very large sacrifice on your part, and that your selfless toiling for hours on end is all just for the greater good of the family. show me that, and i'll show you a husband who lets you skip out on dinner dishes several nights in a row and is okay with the extra two hundred dollars you spent at target on "stupid, useless chick-stuff"-- my man is THE MAN!

4. get on board with the fact that any page you do is going to be vastly inferior to pages that any other person living on the planet will do. i set my bar very, very, exceedingly-stupid low and so i was always happy with sub-par results.

5. recruit fast, efficient worker-bee sister, stampin-up sister, and scrapbook-gifted friend to help. mad props to megan, loni, and kristin--you girls are really ALL THAT and the bag of chips.

6. work faster, harder, stronger! no, really--i think the fact that i didn't spend 10 minutes envisioning the layout, trying to match colors on the paper to colors in clothing, etc., was only a total bonus to me. i also am a big fan of cramming a whole lotta photos on some pages--that's really all my kids wanted to see, was their pictures. they really don't care how they got there. that's gratitude for you! typical, though. not one of my children have ever even thanked me for birthing them. RUDE!

7. cave to peer pressure. mia hasn't even got a book yet, but if i do kick it old school with hers and not go the digital route, i have to switch to the 12x12. i'm not saying i'm in love with it, but every paper made that you will need is gonna be in that size. can you cut it down? sure. but that involves one more step, which is one more step than i want to do. 12x12 it is!

8. make 1 page, duplicate it for your other children. why reinvent the wheel? this is when megan stepped in saved my life--she must have copied 40 pages for me. i heart her.


in the scheme of things, thought, i'm not sure why i really did this. murphy's law says that now that i am caught up on these two, our house is gonna catch fire and burn to the ground, scrapbooks and all. but, both abbey and chandi were thrilled, so i guess it all is worth it in the end. the things we do for our children!

HB CHANDLER CHANDI CHANANDELER BONG!!

10 years old today and ready to date and drive......too bad she's gonna have to wait another 6 years!! from the moment she arrived, bald and white without a hair on her head (or on her eyebrows, for that matter--we used to lovingly refer to her as our little burn victim! not pc, but we thought she was beautiful) and with those scrawny little bird legs, we were completely and totally in love!!


chandi has a social schedule that rivals her mother's own, and if she is not arranging for the next playdate way in advance, she is off her game. she loves soccer, and any music by any rapper with one letter or initial in his name with baggy pants and a large platinum dollar sign on a chain 'round his neck. chandi is our little organizer and cleaner, and is the first to be called on when some drawer or cupboard needs an overhaul.


we are grateful for the love chandi brings our family--she is perfectly content if she is sitting on her dad's lap or snuggled up next to mom watching "heroes" and playing the nintendo ds.

one of my favorite things about chandi is when she filled out a questionnaire for primary about all of her interests and hobbies. when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she put down "sno-cone maker"---genius!! who doesn't WISH they were making sno-cones for a living? i think it would pretty much be the best job, EVER.





so, hb, chandi-girl! your family thinks that you are "all that"!! (see slang term of the day.) you are loved!!!

drinking from her nose

mia has been sick off and on for like the last million years or so. she gets sick, we pump medicine into her, she gets better, we relax, she gets sick again. right now her nose is constantly running, and she finds it just easier, really, to lick it clean as it runs down to her mouth than to wipe it off. it reminded me of a term that my friend brooke's little girl said about one of their friends who was doing the same thing: "mom! she is drinking from her nose!"

i always wonder what would happen if , as an adult, i went around doing something like that--would i still be socially accepted? i'm thinking no on that one.

cougar hunters

behold, the mighty ones who hunt the cougar.

we gave these shirts to the menfolk for valentine's day-- i considered for a moment the one that i loved that said "cougar bait" on it, but decided that our boys were more in the "hunter" demographic! we had just vacated the kemp's sweet jacuzzi, so i think the towels are an eclectic touch. jared decided to then take it to the next level by graciously bestowing on us this:

you're welcome, fellow bloggers.

HB KRISTIN!!

ahhhh...kristin, my love. this little tiny person who i am strangling in love and affection in the picture to the right has been one of my very bff's for the last 10 years. she is also a mother of girls only, so she feels my pain on a daily basis. kristin has got a wee-little bit 'o competition in her, so you can always count on her throwing an elbow or doing the "gut-face-groin" move if it moves her closer to first place! we have done many fierce dance moves and laughed until we cried and lounged on tubes in the lazy river at the jw marriott and built houses together and pushed people off their seats in musical chairs and gone to girl's camp and survived to tell the tale. we moved together to sage hollow because we couldn't be separated,which is a bit dysfunctional, but it WORKS for us!

kristin is my "frahnk" when we decorate and she is also my personal scrapbook expert/invitation maker/laundry stain-remover/sewing-shizz-up go-to gal!! she singlehandedly put together the off-the-hook olivia-newton john in the "physical" video aerobics outfits that we wore to the rec center on halloween, so i thought it only appropriate that the entire blogging universe should benefit by basking in our jane-fondaness!!

we have raised each other's girls and been there for each other thru thick and thin. she has picked me up when i was down and dusted me off and shown unconditional love, and i love her and colby and the girls so much. so, kc, here is to many more good times--i love you girlfriend!!!!

HB DAD!!

happy birthday dad!! my dad doesn't read my blog as he can barely turn on the computer and send an email without calling to my mom for help, but i still wanted to pay tribute to one of the greatest men i know.

my dad has always been an awesome example of keeping your cool and working things out. he has tons of patience and wisdom, and many people have come to him over the course of his life to ask for direction and guidance. he has always been a hard worker but then, when it's play time, he is ready to go! and when i say play i mean GOLF, as my dad is a golf fanatic who can be found on the golf course 5-6 times a week (no, that's not a typo. yes, my mother is a saint). many a deal was brokered in between holes or while riding around on a golf cart.

my dad is fun loving and we children have always loved being around him when we get together. the picture i posted on here that i love is the one of him in the back on the "screamin" roller coaster in disneyland--classic derrill.

my dad is a bit of an eccentric sometimes. i remember that he used to have a map that showed which lightbulbs in the house had last been changed and the date, and he liked to do things like buy generic and namebrand ice cream and then have us taste them so he could prove that we couldn't tell the difference. (we could.) he also LOVED free food--if there was an open house for a home or grand opening of a business or the radio station was broadcasting from somewhere with free hot dogs and drinks, you could bet that we would show up. he has a few quotes that are famous in our family, like the time he told my sister who was 13 at the time, "now, loni--you've never really liked boys, and they've never really liked you...." . but the greatest legend in my family has to be that my dad loved to make bets with us kids and then totally get out of them. like the time he told my brother ryan he would give him 10 dollars if he stood in a freezing creek for 10 minutes, but when ryan came to him after a full 10 minutes in the water, witnessed by the whole family and a few puzzled strangers, my dad said, "i meant up to your neck." he didn't want to pay, but my mom made him--love it!

one of my favorite things about my dad is how much he loves my mom. he has always been so affectionate and loving towards her, which, while growing up, was important for us kids to see. if i had a dime for every time i've heard, "do you kids know how much i love your mother? she is SOOOO snuggly!!" i would be house-payment free and own a timeshare in the bahamas. we kids will always groan and roll our eyes, but we all secretly love it.

so, happy birthday dad and grandpa! have a wonderful day on the golf course--we heart you!

who's in charge here?

i stumbled accross this blog the other day called "who's in charge here?" and i have to say i have been quite entertained by it. the basic purpuse is quite simple-- they take a photo of a musical group, and you vote which person is in charge based on the picture. hundreds of people vote, and then they post the winner, but the way they describe it is hilarious. they've done the wiggles, hall and oates, wu-tang clan, etc., and it makes me laugh out loud. so, if you have 15 minutes to kill, get on and read what they have to say here
have a killer weekend!

the 1980's called: they want their hairbrush back...

i am somewhat scatterbrained. "easily distracted" is what i prefer to call it, but i tend to misplace things or lose things quite easily. i've lost purses, cell phones (two now and counting), my wedding ring (bad.), different kids in different places (very bad.), money, brand new beauty supply curling irons and straighteners that cost 150 dollars (just happened when we went to stomp), etc, etc. you get the idea--i suck at keeping track of things, and i've been this way all my life, but increasingly worse as i get older. but, for some insane, wildly unexplainable reason, i still have one item that has been in my possession since i was a junior in high school: my hairbrush.

let me tell you, this little number has seen it's share of excitement. it ratted many a teenage girl's bangs into the upright and standing position, and i know without a doubt that you-- amy, rachel, sara, tammy--have pulled this through your luscious locks at one time or another. it's been covered with aqua net, bold hold, stiff stuff, aussie scrunch, scruples, paul mitchell, vavoom, suave (only when russ forced me for a while), joico, and a hairspray that i got out of a tijuana bathroom (for REAL. when i was 18. it seemed like a good idea at the time....can't explain why). it is missing about one third of it's bristles, is covered in several unidentifiable liquids and really should be put down, but how can i possibly do that when it helped my hair look like this?

i was gonna clean it off before i took the picture, but then i decided that it wouldn't be a true and honest depiction, so you are getting it way too up close and personal. don't be a hater on my brush, people!! (see slang term of the day). it has served me faithfully for many years, and if it holds up to it's track record, it's got at least another 20 to go.

HB ABBEY ABBERS ABBEY-GAIL!!!!

7 years ago today we got the best valentine's gift ever--our abbey. this little spitfire keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh. we have learned through painful, repeated trial and error to never, i repeat NEVER get into a mexican stand-off with this girl, because we are destined for complete and utter failure when we do so. the stubborn streak coexists nicely with her ability to give huge amounts of love and affection, and it doesn't hurt that she is probably the most beautiful 7 year old on the face of the planet. (i'm sure i would have no parents out there in cyberworld who would beg to differ---okay, lets just agree to disagree for just today? good.)

we are grateful that she was allowed to be such an important part of our family and we are thankful that she got to choose us. we just hope that she is still young enough to not be completely ruined by bad parenting. or that by the time she is 12 and needs extensive therapy, our trust-fund adoptive parents will have found us!!!

abbey, we love you and think you are the most stone cold, off the hook, crazy mad, wicked fly little shorty to ever get all up in our grills!! YOU ARE THE BOMB!! (see slang term of the day.) happy valentine's day to the reason our hearts beat.

happy heart day!!

happy heart day to all of you. i want to give a special little valentine to my man--this is us on valentine's day 1991. someone went to alot of trouble with that background, huh? only first class for us. i love you honey! thanks for being my valentine.xoxo

i have decided that about once a week i am going to be showcasing (and my, do i use that term loosely) an AWESOMELY BAD music video. today is the perfect time to bust out my homies from "color me badd"--you know they are straight up gangsta when they use the two d's at the end of the word. take just 3 minutes out of your day to see that these fellas take their craft really seriously. love the overalls with one strap undone--remember that trend? ahhhh....! i used to think that the poor man's george michael was the cutest--and do take notice that when it's his turn to sing, he breaks it down in espanol. the ladies love a latino!--but now i am gonna have to go with curls. he is straight killing it with the hair product. i just think he is bringing it ALL in this one. enjoy it HERE

diet dr pepper gives me ninja skills

i loves me some diet dr pepper. i used to drink the full-leaded dr. pepper until after i birthed chandler and wound up sobbing on my closet floor when i couldn't get my pants up past my knees. not a joke. i kept hearing my dad's voice inside my head. "melinda, never, ever drink your calories. do you know how many calories one regular soda has?" but i was in denial cuz diet pop sucked. and it left a nasty aftertaste, and all i could picture was the tab diet soda from the 1970's that i remember my mom drinking sometimes, and how it tasted like the bottom of a shoe. but those pants weren't gonna re-size themselves magically,so i gave it a shot and found that not only could i actually tolerate it, i kinda liked it.

now i hate whenever someone tells me about how all of those super smart scientists with all their fancy book learnin' have proven that if you stop drinking diet soda you will drop 10 pounds immediately--i refuse to get on board with that program. diet dr pepper brings me peace and serenity and joy. it gives me an excuse to get in the car with my husband to go on "a drive" while my kids are whining about not being invited to go. (it's sacred time, children. just watch high school musical 2 on mommy's tivo and we will be back before troy bolton runs around entrada golf course, looking for his reflection in the pond.)

there is a running joke in my family about how each one of my children have it running through their veins when they arrived in this world, and how they learned how to suck out of a straw before they could crawl. is it good for them? i'm thinking no. but i have witnessed them running with scissors and staring directly into the sun also, and they have survived.

the only time the dr and i disagreed was when i had to have an intervention with myself about a year ago. i was drinking about three 44 ouncers a day, and i remember standing in front of the cups at mr.d's chevron and eyeing those 64 ounce massive plastic cups 'o goodness and thinking that it would just be a smarter and more efficient idea to fill that little puppy all the way up. so i cut down--just a little, not a lot. we still see each other every day and it works for us.

this is a picture of my soon-to-be valentine birthday girl abbey at the pool when she was about 16 months old. she is here, representing for her momma (see slang term of the day). i think in this case a picture is worth a thousand words.

my new fav bday card

megan gave me this card for my bday this year. inside is says "happy birthday to a real player". i pretty much think it's all that.