The Sometimes Useful Useless Stuff We Know

A couple weeks ago a coworker of mine started to recite Dr. Seuss’s The Pale Green Pants to wrangle and quiet a group of unruly 4, 5, and 6 year olds. She told it all from memory and the kids were quite entranced and some of my other coworkers were in awe. But I knew. My first question when she finished was “Was that your son’s favorite?” She laughed and said “yeah”. The coworkers in awe don’t have children so they don’t know all the useless things that fill your brain as a parent. Useless unless of course you have to wrangle a bunch of unruly children, which fortunately worked like a charm.

Today I was reading to a little guy and though the book was missing a page, it didn’t phase me, I know it word for word and probably always will.

This book is the best! I make sure every little one I get gifts for has a copy of this book! Not only do I know it, but both my kids do by heart. It was the first thing Little Moo recited, before any nursery song even.

These are a few of the other random books that will always rattle around my brain.

 

 

 

How about you? Are there any books that you could recite from memory while half asleep rocking a two year old?

The Vows I Forgot?

 

There have been some late night as it gets closer to Christmas because…well I procrastinate, but mostly because a lot of the things I need to do either need to be done with no children awake or (like most things) it is just plain easier without the kids bugging me. Last night as we were getting to bed Zippercow was grumbling about how late it was. The conversation goes a little like this:

Me: “You know dear, you can go to bed even if I’m not ready to.”

Zippercow: “No I can’t.”

Me: “Yes you can, you just go to bed.”

Zippercow: “Nope, same bedtime. It says right in our marriage vows, in sickness and health we go to bed at the same time.”

Thanks dear, I clearly forgot that vow??? Reason #2,136 why I love my husband, he can’t go to sleep without me. Not a bad place to be.

Anyone else have a shared bedtime?

Size Matters

Sometimes it’s hard to write about the big things, the serious things. We’ve had a great year, our little family, but we’ve had some big things happen too. I’ve had a bit of a writers block because I haven’t known how to tackle some of it, but I’ve decided I don’t have to cover everything in our blog as it happens. Much like with my crafting I have to do it when creativity strikes and not feel guilt about doing  things out of order or even post about the little things when there are much bigger things going on. You know, telling the perfectionist in me to shut up.

I think that most people would be entertained to be in on conversations that Zippercow and I have. One conversation  we’ve had many times is how things taste better when they aren’t their original size. For instance Saltine Minis.

These are delicious and perfect for pregnant ladies and children. The aren’t as crumbly as their giant predecessors which is a plus for messy children, but also if you are preggers you won’t have a snow storm of saltine crumbs down your front after staving off morning sickness in your car. Best. Thing. Ever.

 

Mmm… Mini Nilla Wafers. Nough said.

But this is the most recent Mini we’ve come across that sparked the latest reprise of our conversation about yummy things that aren’t their original size.

What the what?!?! Triscuit Minis?! We had to try them! Much as we suspected they were delicious…because they are smaller.

It isn’t just when things are smaller that they are better. Sometimes When they are bigger they are better. Like these

They are bigger than their original size so they are better. It’s a fact.

We have a whole list of things that are better than their originals that we of course discuss anytime we come across new things to add to the list. See? Don’t you just wish you were here to discuss the important things with the Hubs and I?

How about you, what are your favorite that are not their original size?

Fall Fun…

Do you ever do something with your kids because it is a family tradition or it seems like you should be doing it? Some activity that should create warm fuzzy family moments, but somehow they fall a little short? That’s how I feel about carving pumpkins. It always seems like a fun fall fun activity but I’m usually wrong, and then the next Halloween comes around and I forget (until I’m halfway through) that I wasn’t going to do that again.

Sure, carving pumpkins can be fun…for about five minutes while the kids are interested, but the other 9o minutes are brutal. There is the repeated yelling at the children to “stop grabbing at the knife blade”or  “please don’t fling the pumpkin guts off your hand”and two minutes later  “no I can’t find your favorite toy or turn on a movie, I’m up to my elbow in pumpkin guts!” then there is the standing over multiple pumpkins scraping them out and carving them. Oh and don’t forget the forty five minutes spent standing over the sink going through pumpkin mush to find pumpkin seeds.

Sure I don’t have to do that part, but something good has to come from all the work and mess right?

It is just SO much work.

For…

Oh right…the kids. They are cute. And I love them. Ugh…guess who will be carving pumpkins again next year!

Forgetting Foam

While dealing with the various medical issues that have plagued Zippercow in the last month one of his complaints was that he wasn’t sleeping well on our terrible mattress. This of course was not news to me because I was not sleeping well either.  Our mattress is terrible despite it being less than three years old.

So me, being the great wife I delusionally think I am, made it my mission to find a mattress pad to bring my poor husband just a bit of comfort*. My evening of searching led me to target where I purchased the Cool Comfort Memory Foam Mattress Topper. Here is the description of the product:

Sleep like you've never slept before on a luxurious memory foam mattress topper by Target Home. Thick mattress pad will fit nicely on top of a queen-sized mattress. Made from synthetic polyurethane foam that's also hypoallergenic. Temperature-sensitive memory foam is designed to adapt to the pressure of your body, making you feel like you're sleeping on a cloud.

Sounds great right? Who wouldn’t want to sleep on a cloud? 

I’m undecided.

My biggest issue with memory foam is how it holds in the heat making me super hot when trying to sleep, but the name of the product assures me that it is cool comfort so I should be set. Oh, and the smell of the foam. But luckily this product is scented like green tea to cover the smell of new memory foam. I actually like the scent and am sad that the smell is dissipating . I also think they rely on the scent to make you think it is cooler, trying to trick your brain into thinking it is cooler. Tricky, tricky.

As for sleeping on a cloud, I’m not so sure.  Sure it is blissful the second you lay down, but here’s the thing, when you add a memory foam topper to an already crappy mattress you are still in the same ridiculous back breaking divot, just two inches higher. Once it “memorizes” you it is no longer comfortable. But if you get up long enough for the mattress to “forget” you and lay back down, there is a brief moment of comfort. So just do that over and over through out the night and you are golden.

That’s conducive to a good night’s sleep right?

*Sadly the same night I brought this home Zippercow’s back pain was so bad he couldn’t lay or sit down. He has yet to make it more than a couple hours in bed since we got this. Poor Zippercow, just can’t catch a break.

I Perspire to Inspire (Kind Of)

 

I’ve been putting this post off for awhile. There are a couple reasons. One being that each time I think about writing it I think to myself “I’ll do it after I shed a few more pounds. The number will sound more impressive”. Zippercow’s  70+ lbs. sounds far more exciting than my 50+lb. lost so I keep putting it off. Second, I want to be inspirational. I want to set a good example.

I’m not really sure I’m there yet.

Today I went to Fred Meyer just to get a gallon of milk and discovered something so much more amazing. Clearance! I thought I would just look and see what I could find in my size. But what size am I now?  I knew last time I bought something I was a 14 so I grabbed one of those and I grabbed a 12 just out of curiosity. I made Zippercow do this the other day, made him try on a medium (MEDIUM peeps!) and what do you know, it fit! I thought I might just be that lucky. And it turns out I was!  I was able to get them on and zip them up and they didn’t look half bad. Sure it may have just been that pair of jeans, but I am still over the moon excited.

I shared my excitement on Facebook (it was a nice change from all my complaining I’m sure) and was asked if I was blogging about my success. The answer is no. Mostly because people keep asking “what’s your secret?” Here’s the secret…

I don’t have one.

When I tell them, “I count calories and exercise” I immediately see their faces fall and the light leave their eyes. That’s not exciting.  Not vegan. Not gluten free. I haven’t cut out sugar, hell I still have diet soda. Strangely it seems people want to hear that I’ve been starving myself or that I am only eating kale and grapefruit for weeks. Nope. Then I feel even worse because these discussions inevitably  take place at some function or BBQ where I’ve decided to splurge and eat a bunch of chips or cake (or both) Sure they may not know it is my “cheat day” or that I have already burned 600 calories at my morning workout or plan to later that day. Or that I stayed on point ALL week just so I could splurge on said occasion. So telling them I count calories while I stuff my face doesn’t really connect for them.  Recently at a work meeting I didn’t finish my cake and my boss asked “So do you always leave a bite on your plate?”thinking that could be part of my secret. But no. My response was “Uh…no. I just didn’t like the filling.”

There really is no secret, it is exactly as doctors have been telling us for years. Eat healthy and exercise. But that’s where I fail a little too. I do stay within my calorie limit of 1500 calories (give or take depending on exercise) but I don’t always get in all my fruits and vegetables. Sometimes my calories are on things I probably definitely should not be eating. This is where I feel I lack the ability to be inspirational for others. I hardly feel I can write a blog post “I Eat Cookies and Loose And So Can You!” because even I know that I should be better at getting the things in that I need to be healthy.

I suppose I can tell you some of what I do and you can take it as inspirational or the ramblings of some woman you kind of know.

^{It’s  crazy but I don’t see that much difference in these pictures. I know I’m smaller, but I actually feel smaller than the picture gives me credit for. I think. I suppose my after picture probably shouldn’t be in a dress that is too big for me, but it was worth a shot. There will be plenty of other milestone opportunities I’m sure! Note to self,  you can not see a smaller butt and skinnier thighs in a dress that is too big!}

My Tips

Grace: If anything, this is the one tip I would give everyone. Be kind to yourself!You have a long life to live, you don’t have to lose all your weight in one week!  We went on vacation recently and I “found” a few pounds that I then had to shed. I anticipated this. I suppose I could have decided to stay on point for vacation, but where is the fun in that? I truly feel that since I have found what works that I just reapply the formula anytime I have an off week. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Diet implies that it will end, which usually means you will go back to your old habits therefore gaining back your weight. If you give in and have one cookie (or five!) just know that somewhere in the week you will need to make up for it with extra exercise if you want to see results on the scale. Don’t say “screw it” and just stop. Keep going!

Be Realistic: The first few weeks of trying to lose weight can be super exciting or depressing. My first few weeks I didn’t lose anything which was REALLY discouraging. During this time try using a tape measure instead, you’ll be amazed that you may still be getting smaller but not budging on the scale. I just kept going!  I knew I was doing the right thing, then all of a sudden I was losing 4-5 pounds a week! That was short lived and since then I’ve only lost 0.5-2lbs a week. This is what is recommended, no more! In the beginning if you have a lot to lose it might be in higher numbers, but the closer you are to your goal, the smaller your calorie deficit is, which means smaller losses each week.  And don’t think you are doing something wrong if you lost 3.5lbs one week but only 0.5lbs (or none, this has happened a couple times) the following week. Congratulate yourself on not gaining, you still averaged 2lbs a week over the 2 week period. That’s good! I’ve lost a little over 50lbs. in an eight month period. That is an average of less than 2lbs a week. It may seem like a long time looking forward, but now it doesn’t seem all that long.

Journal: You can do this privately or online where you can have support, but it makes all the difference. This is something I actually learned when pregnant and I had gestational diabetes. Actually seeing what you are eating really helps to pinpoint your problem areas and make adjustments. I strongly suggest this.

Cheat Day or Meal: Once a week I allow myself a “cheat” day/meal. Usually it is Friday (my weigh in day) so that I have a whole week to make up for it if necessary, but if I have a party or other social event (where there is guaranteed to be a delicious food trap) on some other day during the weekend I try to make that my “cheat” day. But to be even more honest sometimes the cheat day turns into a weekend. Oops. I  just make up for it the following week. I don’t starve myself, just keep my calories closer to 1500, even if I exercise. This (cheat weekend)  does result in lower loss for the week, but I’ve come to terms with that. As long as I’m still losing or at worse, not gaining I’m still on track.

Don’t Deny Yourself: This may sound counterintuitive because of course I have to say no to myself all the time, but when you have the serious “I can’t live without it” craving, indulge! No matter what Bob and Jillian tell you watermelon flavored gum is no replacement for chocolate. That’s just stupid. Sure maybe you should delay to see if the craving passes, but if it doesn’t,  have the brownie, hit the gym and move on with your life. Remember how in school we learned about "sometimes” foods? Yeah, sometimes not never foods, so it is okay to have them sometimes. Don’t feel guilty! Sometimes you can even work it into your day and still comfortably hit a reasonable calorie deficit so don’t be so hard on yourself.

Resist Temptation: This has been trickier for me, but basically we don’t keep bags/boxes of chips, cookies or candy in the house. If we do I will eat them and so will Zippercow. We do have them sometimes, but I do not buy them unless we have a specific need for them which means I can’t stockpile like my other groceries, but I find that it actually saves us money and calories because we aren’t eating as much of it as we were before. Also work places frequently have stashes of candy about or work parties with cake or cookies. Unless it happens to be your FAVORITE something just say no. I can’t tell you how many times I had a piece of cake or cupcake and ate it all because I felt I had to. You know you’ve done it too, grabbed a doughnut only to take a bite and realize it is dry and gross but finish it anyway. You don’t have to. If it isn’t worth the calories simply don’t eat it. Over time this has become easier than I ever thought it could.

Exercise, exercise, exercise: I am definitely a creature of habit so it had to be habit before it felt like the norm. Find time to do something, anything! If I can’t go to the gym I have a step box at home that I do 30 minutes on after the kids go to bed or during nap. Find something that works for you that you can fall back on but don’t be afraid to mix it up (says the woman who is still too chicken to go to Zumba by herself). Also don’t be afraid to lift weights!

Drink Water! 

Stop Competing: People are built different. We know this, so why do we put pressure on ourselves to be a certain size? We shouldn’t. Find a place where you are healthy and happy and stick to that. Also, I struggle with the numbers. The amount of weight Zippercow has lost seems so much more impressive than what I’ve lost when you look at the numbers, but don’t do that! It is something I have to tell myself all the time. We aren’t competing, we are being healthier. On the competing theme, you can’t match your spouse’s eating, nor should you. Before I was guilty of putting the same amount of food on my plate as I did on his. Or I would have a snack if he was snacking. The sad fact is that men need more calories than women do which means they get to eat more. *Sad face*. Don’t match him bite for bite, because it will bite you in the ass. Or more likely add to your ass.

Measure your food: More specifically know what you are putting in your mouth. I use measuring cups for food portioning. I frequently will use a smaller plate to make it look like I have more food on my plate. And for snacks I will measure it out and put it in the kids’ bowls so it looks like more.  It is amazing how well that works. If you look at a half full plate you feel deprived but put that same food on a smaller plate and you feel like you are getting a meal.

Wow, I had more tips than I thought I would. Seems like enough for now, but I will always answer any questions to the best of my ability. I suppose the best inspiration I can offer is that I’m not perfect and the process doesn’t have to be perfect to still see results. I haven’t figured it all out, but I have time and so do you!

I’m so happy to have such a wonderful support system! I love you all and wish you the best of luck in your own journey!

First Grade All the Way!

Can you believe it?! Little Moo is in first grade! Today was his first day. This is big kid territory here. School all day and you get to bring your lunch!  Just look how cool he thinks he is.

I didn’t even tell him to pose. He just did that.

It would be funny to say he’s embarrassed, but actually he claimed it was too bright out. Oh man, he’s quite the character!

I know I’m a smart-ass a lot (okay, most of the time) and I have had my share of facebook posts about the crazy things my 6 year old does that result in me wanting to run screaming from the house whilst simultaneously tearing out my hair but I sure love him.. A lot. Here are just some of the reasons I love him so.

1. He’s funny. Aside from the obvious poop, fart and burp humor that boys like so much he has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh. I think he will take to sarcasm quite nicely.

2. He’s kind. He enjoys being a helper to everyone in the family. He takes pride it in.

3. He gives compliments. He will often tell someone “you look nice” or “I like your dress/shirt/hair”

4. He loves to read. I hope he always does

5. He likes to build Legos. I especially enjoy that he comes up with his own creations.

6. He’s sensitive. He is affected by the emotions others have. He feels. I know that isn’t always what manly men qualify a desirable trait but I know this will make him a great human being.

7. He’s smart. Oh so smart. Too smart for his own good, but it makes for interesting conversations for sure!

8. He sleeps in funny places. Example A:

Top bunk, in a box. That’s how he rolls. Never mind that we spent a great deal of money on a bunk bed for him, he sleeps in a box or on his “third bunk” (a blanket on the floor under the bed). My strange, loveable boy!

9. He has a fantastic fashion sense, as I’ve previously documented on this blog. I mean Santa socks with sandals, shorts, and a jacket?  He’s going places with clothes like that!

10. He embodies some of the best (and a few of the not so so great) qualities of both Zippercow and I and that makes him uniquely him! Love you Little Moo!

Beach Bodies

Okay, so we may not have beach bods but check this out!

That’s me running down the beach with the kids at our family reunion! I did this multiple times throughout the day and I wasn’t exhausted or sore, and I absolutely loved it! Zippercow swam in the ocean for hours and also went on hikes and mostly had energy afterwards (okay, it is Zippercow, but it wasn’t his fitness level making him tired!)

Zippercow after taking me on the “trail” I’m not really a “forge your own path” kind of gal. Doesn’t he know me but at all?

We thoroughly enjoyed our family vacation. How could we not?!

We didn’t find any sand dollars but sometimes the journey is more fun the destination…

Making a break for it! Littlest Moo(ver) enjoyed the open space to run!

Awesome people in an awesome location…there is not much more to say!

Going, Going, Gone!

Zippercow is very quickly disappearing and now you can get your glimpse of all his progress! We’ve both been working very hard to be healthier and eat right but his progress has even made me jealous. So I’ll get right to it!

Before

This picture was taken December 31st, 2011, Zippercow’s 30th Birthday. He weighed  roughly 275 lbs.

After

While he isn’t done, he has lost over 65 lbs!!!! He isn’t even recognizable. And he’s still going!  We can’t seem to keep him in clothes that fit, but in a good way. What is even better is he has more energy which allows him to do this.

or this

Hehe.  Apparently he missed that there was a net there. Oops! Sorry Hubs, couldn’t resist!

I’m so glad he’s been on this journey with me, it has made us both happier and healthier. Zippercow has reached most of his goals and is pretty close to his goal weight. I’m so proud of you Zippercow, even though you dropped your weight disgustingly fast. I love him dearly and now that we are healthier I can  look forward to many extra healthy years together!

Thirty & Awesome!

 

Some time ago Glamour did an article titled  30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30. Check it out, it is quite the list. Since the big day is just four days away I’m happy to say that I’m actually able to check off quite a few of those, but the ones I can’t I think are stupid, so I thought I would make a list of my own of the 30 things 30 years has taught me, in no particular order. Here goes…

1.Take Care of the Girls: you can push them, stuff them, tug them, shove them into all kinds of crazy apparel but at the end of the day find a bra that fits you like a second skin that you wear most days. Don’t stray. It is okay to cry when the style is discontinued.

2. Know Yourself: There is always room for improvement of course, but it is silly to set unrealistic expectations. If you are shy it is unlikely you will ever be the life of the party (unless you are pretty tipsy). You can’t change your personality, just enhance it. We are taught we can be anything we want to be, blah,blah,blah, but I don’t want to be a rich socialite, an engineer or the president. The key is want. Find what you love and do that. All the learning and practice  in the world will not make me a great sales person. Not even a good one. It just isn’t me and I’m okay with that.  That’s where knowing yourself comes into play. If you want to be a teacher but hate children it might be time to re-evaluate your personality.

3. Be Okay with Just Being Okay: It is great to excel, but we simply can’t be perfect at everything. You are welcome to try, just be okay with it if you aren’t.

4. Laugh. A Lot: A good belly laugh will cure just about anything! Just be prepared to have extra meds on hand if you recently had a c-section. Otherwise you’re golden!

5. Changing A Flat Tire Is Not That Difficult: I should know, almost every vehicle I’ve owned I’ve had to change a flat on. Even after I was married. And he was with me.

6. Have Great Sex: If you are having sex and it isn’t great, you are doing it wrong. Fix it. Then thank me!

7. You Are Not As Smart As You Think: You don’t know everything when you are 16. You don’t know everything when you are 18. You don’t know everything when you are 21 or 30 either. Over the years I’ve learned that truly intelligent people acknowledge that they don’t know everything, but are willing to learn. Be open to learning something new! And by all means if you are going to be an arrogant asshole who claims to know everything, you better be able to back it up, otherwise I will assume you are stupid.

8. Fight Fair: Sure we aren’t happy all the time. We fight. We fight with our spouse, our friends, and our children. Be careful what you say when you are angry, some things just can’t be taken back. Better yet, crack a joke!

9. Rock It In a Pair of Jeans: Some people feel most confident in their power suit or in their favorite pair of heels. I am most confident in a kickass pair of jeans. Find your style and rock it!

10. You Are Worth It:  Both you (the reader)  and I are worth the time, energy and love. Always.

11. Say You’re Sorry: and mean it.

12. Surround Yourself with Awesome: Surround yourself with friends and family who love you and support your direction in life, whatever that might be. Support them too! Oh, and make sure at least some of them can supply you with the before mentioned belly laughs.

13. Chopsticks Are Painful

14. Never Settle For Less Than You Deserve: I didn’t. Now I’m married to the man of my dreams, have a family I love and a life better than I could ever ask for!

15. Garden: Plants don’t have feelings. If you kill one off they grow quickly, just try again! Try, try again. They aren’t children, if you get busy and don’t feed/water them and they die, eh…

16. You Are Never Too Old to Play Spoons: Or any game for that matter. Have fun!

17. Always Be Prepared: Although I’m no boy scout I’ve learned time and time again how important it is to expect the unexpected. For weddings, holidays, vacations or just day to day life. The sooner you realize this the better. The baby will always poop everywhere when you have no spare diapers. True story.

18. Exercise Feels Good: Sure you may be sore after a strenuous workout, but it feels good to know that you are doing something for your body, and the discomfort goes away so lace those shoes, find some tunes and  the exercise that works for you! There is something for everyone.

19. Heels Are Overrated: Preferring flats to  high heels does not make me any less a lady (though plenty of other things do) for this I make no apologies.

20. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously: Find humor in your everyday life and laugh at yourself.  It is seriously no fun to be embarrassed, so embrace your goofier self!

21. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail: This is something I’m continuing to work on. My perfectionism often prevents me from starting projects (or anything new) out of fear of failure. I'm learning though that it doesn’t hurt to try. Trying and failing still gets you more than not doing it at all, at least you may have learned from your experience. Okay, I’ll be super honest and say this is definitely something I still work on, as I have a lot of anxiety over failing/ not doing it right. Hmm…that must be where Little Moo gets it from.

22. Sleep!!! But not like a baby…because they don’t do that.  You might think I mean you should sleep a lot. But not really, just get it when you can and enjoy your sleep. If you have kids…well you are kind of screwed. Maybe someday when they are older and you have to drag them out of bed, for now just take a nap. If you don’t have children, enjoy your rest, just don’t be offended when your friends with kids roll their eyes when you complain about not getting to sleep in until 10am. Oh and if you are young enjoy all nighters! Some of the best times I had as a youth was when I was sleep deprived. . It isn’t working out so well as a 29 year old…

23. If You Don’t Drink, Fake It: I don’t drink alcohol. I’m not opposed to it, and it doesn’t bother me when other people do it, I just haven’t found anything I like. For some reason this makes people really uncomfortable. I’m not judging you! I don’t count every drink you have and tell people how horrible you are. Actually, when everyone else has a good buzz it’s the perfect time for me to act a complete fool. I can become loud and boisterous and no one will notice or care. So fake it and have fun!

24. We Aren’t All the Same: This seems painfully obvious, but it actually took me many years to truly take this in. Even those we have the most in common with do things differently.  Allow grace for others, because NO ONE does everything the way you do. Money, parenting, cleaning, picking partners, work ethic, the list goes on.  Sure we know this intellectually but the trick is accepting it and not holding our differences against one another.

25. Huggies Are Just Better: For our first son we had to buy cheaper brands and convinced ourselves that they were just as good. We were fooling ourselves. Huggies are more expensive, but worth every penny. I spend far less in laundry detergent when the kiddos aren’t leaking out all the time. On a related note, swim diapers are no replacement for diapers/pull-ups. Trust me on this one.

26. Tell Someone You Love Them Everyday

27. Makeup You Hair: I always wonder how people get away with the messy hair look. Makeup (it doesn’t have to be a lot). It makes all the difference. Also, makeup can dress up your sweats!

28. Live In a Crappy Apartment: When you are young and striking out on your own find a little apartment with brown carpets and noisy neighbors. It  may be terrible at the time but it provides for some interesting stories later and will be the yardstick you compare your future homes to.

29. Peanut Butter & Jelly Can Be Eaten For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

30. 30 Isn’t Scary: Strange but true, I can honestly say that instead of dreading my birthday I’ve been looking forward to it. I love the knowledge I’ve gained the past 30 years and I look forward to the wisdom the passing years will provide me with.

Happy Father’s Day!

Okay so it is a little belated, but the sentiment is still there. I’m so lucky to have an amazing husband and even luckier that he is a fabulous Dad to both my boys. I saw this video this morning and could not stop laughing, it totally made my Monday morning.

Being this kind of Dad my one day embarrass our kids, but hey I have come to learn that is some of the fun of being a parent. These Dads are cool, they share in parenting, these  dads change diapers. So. Sexy. Okay not the diaper part, but the sharing in everything part. People without kids don’t understand, but they don’t need to. The right kind of women love and appreciate these men, and since they are the ones that put out, they really are who matter most.

I love it because I can see a little Zippercow in all those Dads. In fact St. Johns Bay is Zippercow’s (self imposed) work uniform. King of the grill, lawn, splash pad and electronics. He’s all those things and so much more. I’m sure there is NOTHING I could do to show him how much I truly appreciate him.

But I do.

The same is true of my own Dad. He was (and continues to be) a wonderful Dad who gave me an appreciation of music and ridiculous comedy. There is an endless list of things he taught me, and in all of that I managed to learn how to find the perfect person to spend my life with.

To both the Dads in my life, my Dad and my wonderful husband Happy Belated Father’s Day!

I Love Spray Paint!

Who doesn’t right? It’s messy and fumy fun! I’ve done a number of projects with spray paint, but I particularly enjoyed this one. I decided I wanted to have a bunch of potted flowers. Given my track record with plants it seems ridiculous, but I kept alive some petunias last year so how hard could it be right? If you’ve ever noticed pots are expensive and in order to have a lot of them, well… you have to spend a lot of money. So I thought I would take a bunch of the black pots we already had for our various trees and shrubs (which are all dead, seriously I can’t take a hint!) clean them up and make them purdy.

Start with miscellaneous pots (cleaned) and an old appliance box to protect the driveway.

 

Rough them up a bit so the paint will stick. Wipe off any dust before painting.

Pick out your favorite spray paint color. I wanted something fun and this Rust-oleum stuff is great, the nozzle allows you to spray in any direction! Read the directions on the can for drying times.  Don’t forget to accidentally stand in front of the breeze so that you paint your legs and feet too.

The dark color required multiple coats for good coverage. You don’t need to get the inside as thoroughly as the outside, just the top part that might be seen after you get the soil in. The same is true of the bottom too. And then you get this!

Yes, my growing skills are awesome aren’t they? My gardening prowess aside the pots turned out pretty cute.  There are SO many possibilities! Great for outdoor weddings or to brighten up an otherwise dull yard.