Random It Up

So, Tuesday.
Not Monday.
Already better than yesterday, just on general principal.
It is time to random things up here.

• Sick little boys are no fun.  Bruiser has been sick for the last couple of days.  A low grade fever, nasty little cough, runny nose.  Definitely a cold.  No fun for anyone.
• Spring is trying to spring around here.  With it comes migraines due to weather changes.  Warm mornings and snowy afternoons.  Days when you need a coat and five minutes later you can be kickin it in shorts.  I love spring weather. (I genuinely wish there was a sarcasm font.)
• Big Bang Theory really is funny.  So is Robin Williams stand up.  In a totally not appropriate for kids way on the Robin Williams.
• The time is creeping nearer.  What time you ask?  Why, time to start running in the mornings. Still not a fan of the running, but it is easy to fit in the schedule and it does produce results. Totally wish I could fit something like swimming, but not until Bruiser is older.
• We have been doing the eMealz menus again.  I didn't join up again, but we are using the menus from when we had joined up.  I suck at meal planning so this helps so much.
• Turbo and I have been reading together. We are six chapters into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He reads a page and I read a page and I help him with the tricky words.  He actually chose to read the other evening over watching TV.  It made me so happy. I love reading and if I can get him to at least like it, well, I'll count that as a win.

And there you have my random.  Go see Stacy for more.

And join up with Shawn and Impulsive for Talk To Us Tuesday. no rules, just fun link up.

Easter--Eggs, Friends, and Doing Nothing

We had a great weekend.  It was pretty low key over all.  We so needed a weekend like that.
Friday evening Turbo played that infernal Minecraft, but now he has a friend that plays with him and that makes it a bit better. After we drug him off that, he and Bruiser watched kid TV upstairs while Nick and I indulged in some wine and Robin Williams stand up.  His stuff is so funny. We watched Weapons of Self Destruction and his Live on Broadway from 2002. A great way to spend an evening.
Saturday was normal grocery shopping. We were planning on spending the evening with friends so the kids could die eggs. This meant that I got to prepare for the egg dying adventure by boiling two dozen eggs and prepping a hash brown casserole.  Nick fixed up an old trailer so he could better haul the four wheeler now that the weather is getting nicer. Four wheeling time is just around the corner.
We headed over to our friends house about 3ish.  We hung out and had dinner and then let the kids go with the dye and the eggs.  Semi controlled mayhem ensued, but most of the kids were happy with the results.  Then we had to haul everyone home so the Easter Bunny could come visit.

Sunday started earlier than I had hoped.  Bruiser got us up at 6:30am cause the Easter bunny had come and he had already found eggs.
Breakfast happened, playing with Easter booty happened, lots of chocolate was consumed by little boys, and then we smoked ribs. They came out pretty good and Nick learned more about the smoker.
All in all it was a very relaxed, low key weekend.  Just what we needed.
How was your Easter?

Woo Hoo! It's Friday!

So it's Friday.  And this weekend is Easter. Dying eggs, Easter Bunny, family and all that jazz.  Better confess so I feel up to this weekend.

• I'm not a huge fan of dying eggs.  
• The boys enjoy it.
• Me, eh, I can take it or leave it.
• I'm annoyed with Blogger this morning.
• When I logged in on Firefox it was all jumpy.
• Maybe it was Firefox, but it was distracting enough to make me go use Chrome to log in.
• I just love technology.
• Migraines can go suck an egg.
• Wine is definitely in order for tonight.
• This last week has been long, draw out, strange and just plain unenjoyable.
• The brightest spot was doing our taxes.
• We don't have to pay so there's that.
• Going home time can't come soon enough.

Go join Aubrey for more confessions. Confess yourself and link up!

Spin Cycle-Futility

This week's Spin Cycle is Things you keep doing even when you don't need to. Things that are habit, no longer necessary, futile.
I do have a few of these:

• I buy salad greens. We like salads.  Both Nick and I eat salads.  However, more often than not, I toss out slimy lettuce that has lived in the vegetable drawer far longer than it should have. 
• Celery is the same story for me.  Yet, I keep on buying celery and using less than half of the bunch.
• I cook fish, in the vain hope that Turbo will have changed his mind about eating it.  No such luck, yet. Same thing with broccoli.
• I have makeup in the drawer of my bathroom cabinet.  I have yet to use any of it.  I know the purpose of most of the stuff in the drawer, but I never feel it looks right on me.  I keep making sure I have the option to wear it if I choose to do so.
• I keep putting underwear on Bruiser in the hope that he will magically figure out pooping in the potty.  He's getting pretty good and washing his underwear out.
• Organization.  I've tried and tried, really I have.  We have a filing cabinet. It has hanging folders, folders in those hanging folders and labels and everything.  Do I use it?  No, not really.  The bills go in an accordion file that is divided by month.  Everything else gets haphazardly stuck in the file cabinet.  I can find most of it but it does take some looking.  I keep hoping that I'll get more organized, but I just can't keep it up.

I've heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results.  I don't clain total sanity--I do have kids after all--but There are certain things that I do over and over and I truly do hope that they will magically start giving more productive results.  

Do you do anything over and over for no good reason?  Do tell, and join Gretchen for more futile spins.

WWTK-Deck the Walls

Time for We Want to Know with Kensie and Scriptor,  This week is all about redecorating:

1.  What is your favorite room in your house? (Bonus if you share a pic!)  That would be the kitchen since the remodel this summer.

2.  How organized are you? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being most organized; I'd have to say maybe a 5, a 6 on good days.  I try, really I do, but life gets in the way.
3.  How did you find inspiration for your home?  Umm, not so much inspriation as what we could afford and the creativity that comes with having to work with what you have.  I call our style shabby traditional.  Shabby because we live in our house and it shows, traditional, because that's what Nick and I are drawn to.
4.  What is/was your favorite DIY project? The kitchen hands down.  Nick did a fabulous job with the remodel.  It looks great in there.
5.  Share your favorite website for ideas for your home?  I don't really have one.  I'm not motivated enough to really try decorating, so we go with looks that we don't have to change up all that much.  I like looking at other people's ideas now and then, but don't have a place to go specifically.

Spring Break 2013 (Or Not so Random Tuesday)

So last week we went on an epic car trip.  We took 11 Geology students (all 21+) to Las Vegas, Death Valley, Long Beach, Part of Route 66, Flagstaff, The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Glenwood Springs and home. We survived and every one had a good time--mostly.
We started out Saturday morning at o'dark thirty.  It was a long drive to Vegas--800 miles.  We made it and our hotel was about a block from Fremont Street.  We got a bit of goggling at the lights and such before Bruiser got sick--he threw up all over Fremont Street.  Nothing they haven't seen before--but I'll bet it usually comes from older, more inebriated people.

Happy under the lights of Fremont Street.

Day 2 was spent in Death Valley, looking at geology and enjoying the 90 degree heat.  So much better than the weather back home.

282 feet below sea level, and we don't have to hold our breath.

How Bruiser spent the day.

Turbo loved hanging with the students and checking out the rocks.

Then we headed out to Long Beach on day 3.  The drive was not so bad.  It could have been lots worse--we managed to get in before rush hour traffic.

Day 4 I took the boys to the aquarium while Nick took the students on a field trip to look at outcrops of formations on the beaches to the south of LA. I also go to have a meet up with Gretchen of Second Blooming. My first ever bloggy meetup.  It was great.  She took us to the beach--Santa Monica--and we talked while the boys played in the sand and got their feet wet in the ocean. She also took us to Venice Beach and the boys got to play at a playground--after we got sweatshirts--it was chilly.

Trying to pet the sharks.

Diggin in the sand

Sand--every boys dream.

Gretchen and I.

Day 5 we took off for Flagstaff--with a side track on some of the Mother Road--Route 66.  I even got to see the Road Kill Cafe. No we didn't eat there--no time.

Day 6 we hit the Grand Canyon--sort of a "There it is Kids" stop.  Got some pictures but would ahve liked more time there, truly. After that we headed for Glenwood Springs Colorado by way of Monument Valley. It was a very long day.

Day 7 was a short hop home ahead of the weather that was threatening to hit.  We made it home and had no major whammies so all in all a successful trip. Oh there was grumbling about early leave times and not getting to spend a lot of time in certain places, but Nick and I didn't come up with the itinerary, the students did.

The one arch near Moab that is next to the highway.

I'm so glad we went and would do it again if asked--but with a bit more input about the schedule.
So if you have randoms go see Stacy and link up.

If you just have any old post link up with Shawn and Impulsive for Talk to Us Tuesday

Friday Confessions

After a week with 11 geology students, my two boys and my husband, I definitely have confessions.

• The geology students were a bit ambitious.
• We have done lots and lots of 60 mph geology.
• A sort of "There it is kids!" trip.
• (10 points for those who get that reference.)
• It has been fun.
• Never not fun.
• But we will probably not plan so much for the next one.
• If there is a next one.
• I had a fabulous time meeting Gretchen in LA.
• She graciously drove us all over, found a beach for my kids to play on, and was great to talk to.
• I totally want to go see her again, for more time.
• I want to get the five minute tour of Hollywood.
• We really should see Disneyland.
• The beach is calling our name too.
• Yep a trip to LA is in order.
• Definitely.

And that about covers the confessions for this week. I should have more next week, but I'm tired now and really need sleep, thankfully we get home tomorrow, weather permitting. Go see Aubrey for more confessions and link up your own confessions.

Spin Cycle--Sing a Song

Gretchen chose songs for the topic this week.  She even suggested a vlog where you sing.  I'm not that great a singer, so I'll spare you my attempts at singing.
I like to sing, but only with the radio.  And since we have spent loads of time in the car this week while on our road trip songs have helped to pass the time.
Most frustrating is that the MP3 player we have is now outdated.  We get to get a new one.  But only after some comparison shopping.  I hesitate to get an iPod.  the newest ones do too much.  We just want something that plays music, not games, videos and everything. But that hunt will wait until we get home.
We have spent the trip hunting for radio stations and when that failed, we went old school and threw in a CD. Def Leoppard helped with the final few miles today.
I'd throw on a few of our favorite road trip songs, but finding them and adding them with the connetion i have might be more trouble than it's worth.
Do you have road trip songs?  Or do you have commuting songs?  Songs that help the miles pass?  Share, they may join our tried and true tunes, once we fix our MP3 troubles.

Spin it up and let Gretchen know--she'll link you right up.

Confessing, I Am

Friday is here. Only about the best day of the week. And ours is a short one as we need to get things ready for the trip. Now on to the confessions:

• I am so stinking excited for this trip.
• I am also a bit intimidated.
• It's going to be a lot of time in the truck.
• With two active boys.
• Pray for us.
• To tell the truth, I have done a lot to find activities for the the boys to do to stave off the Are we there yet whines.
• I only hope it's enough.
• I'm also a bit nervous/excited about having my first bloggy meet up.
•  I'm meeting up in California with Gretchen of Second Blooming.
• It's going to be fun, but I always get nervous about the face to face meetings.
• I still have to pack.
• For three of the four people who live in our house.
• Tomorrow is going to come far too soon.
• And to top everything off, our plumbing chose this morning to back up.
• Home ownership is fun!
• THink of me tonight.
• I will be doing the flight of the bumble bee around the house to pack, clean and all before our 5:00am departure tomorrow.

Go confess and see how much better you feel.  Aubrey is hosting and would love to see you link up.

Spin Cycle--Let Me Tell You Something

Advice is the topic of the Spin Cycle this week.  Good advice, bad advice, unsolicited advice.  We get it all whether we want it or not.  I will admit to appreciating it at times.  There are other times when I really wish the advice giver would just put a sock in it.
One of my guilty pleasures is reading advice columns--Dear Abby, Dear Margo, Dear Prudence, The Mouthy Housewives.  I check them out weekly or daily depending on how often they post.  I think it makes me feel better.  My life is not all together, but at least it's not as bad as some of the letter writers' lives.
I've gotten advice all my life, some that has stuck with me:

• Never get so distracted by the music or passengers you neglect your driving. I got this when I first started driving--good advice especially with phones these days.
• Never put out for the public more than you want them to see--and the internet is public, even Facebook.
• Let your kids be kids--don't schedule them out of childhood.
• Take time to enjoy the little things--it goes by so fast.
• Try new things--anything different is good.
• Taking a step back and letting someone else do it does not make you a bad person--everyone has limits, know yours.
• Take a nap when the opportunity presents itself--later you will regret not taking it.

What advice have you gotten that stuck with you? Spin it up and let Gretchen know--she'll link you right up.