Eternal Sunshine

Up until a few nights ago, I hadn't seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I should have known it was going to be good...I love Being John Malkovich which is also by Charlie Kaufman. I decided to watch it this week as a part of a goal to watch a movie starting with each letter of the alphabet. Since they have to be movies I haven't seen, I settled on Eternal Sunshine.

I LOVED it. I loved the dialogue, the imagery, I loved that the love couldn't be broken.

Any other good movie suggestions out there? I have recently watched Amelie (beautiful), Dark Knight (forgettable, except for Heath Ledger), Phoebe in Wonderland (so-so), The Lovely Bones (based on one of my top three favorite books. Very different, but I was enamored of it), and Slumdog Millionaire (inspirational).

Let me know of anything you think would be good.

Happenings

I know that I am always talking about my family and things that we do. Part of me feels like that might be boring for others to read about, but the other part of me realizes that the reason I started this blog is mostly to record memories. I love the idea of having blog readers and joining the community of bloggers out there, but my favorite thing is my family. So, with that in mind, I am going to keep going with my blog in the way that makes me happy and hopefully something will interest readers along the way.

Here are a few tiny pieces of how we have spent the last few days.

Thursday was sheet changing day. That is one of John's favorite projects because it means he gets to jump on the bed. For some reason, he chooses to avoid jumping when there are sheets and blankets on the bed, but he goes crazy for the bed like this.

That day I also made a yummy meal for the family. I used Udon noodles for the first time. I thought they would be more like chow mein, but it was a little like spaghetti. Either way the noodles were delicious when I covered them in homemade teriyaki sauce. I also made a little stir fry of broccoli, water chestnuts, tofu and cashews.

On Friday we went and got chicken scratch to feed the ducks at the park. I asked John to be in charge of the duck food, and obviously he was pretty excited about it.

Feeding the ducks.

Who knows what adventures this week will bring. Hopefully John will be feeling 100% by the end of the week. I would love to have a playdate with some friends or take him to the "zima" which translates into museum if you don't speak fluent John.

We wish you all a happy week!

I HAVE to do an update tomorrow.

I am not sure what has been keeping me away, probably something to do with

trying to get some sleep.

I have 720 unfinished craft projects, BUT I did get most of my supplies organized in a usable manner. Hopefully this will lead to the completion of at least one or two things that I can post.

Anyway, a real post tomorrow (...hopefully)

Giveaway Time, but its not from me :)

Janel, at Run With Scissors, is doing an AWESOME giveaway to celebrate 400 readers.

Her blog is so much fun to read and she always has some inspiration to share. SO glad I met her through Happy Mail.

Anyway, go check it out and become a follower :)

While you are at it...Follow Me Too :)

A Day in The Life

1. Wake up at 5am to Unkababy crying for milk. Get up and give him some in a sippy cup. Thankfully, he slipped back off into the land of Nod.

2. Stay awake, due to insomnia. On the positive side, I get to read for a few hours before taking my sister to school.

3. Fall back asleep at 7:30 and wake up at 9. Amazingly, John slept in until 8:30, and wonder daddy let me sleep in.

4. Play and read stories for a bit. Thankful that John is feeling snuggly, so I sit through countless tractor books because it is worth it to have him in my lap.

5. Feed John breakfast, antibiotics and a breathing treatment. Get him dressed.

6. Make a visit to Whole Foods, one of our favorite stores. John had an awesome lunch from the salad bar and ended up COVERED in hummus.

7. Arrive back at home and meet up with daddy for a few minutes. John went to sleep for a three hour nap. I guess all these sleepless nights have caught up with him :)

8. While John sleeps I cook tempeh salad, steam broccoli and cauliflower, make zuchinni chips that end up wayyy to burnt, and eat lunch. I even have a little time left over to work on one of John's birthday gifts.

9. John wakes up and I take him outside for sidewalk chalk and fresh air. My sister and I ended up enjoying the sidewalk chalk a great deal more than John. We ended up writing silly messages and laughing at each other.

10. Josh gets home from the doctors. We decide to go to Walgreens to get his prescription filled, QT for ice, and a visit to the library for me. John and daddy went to the Riparian Park and I met them there.

11. Dinner

12. John goes to bed

13. Quietness

7 Random Facts About Me

Janel, from Run with Scissors, did a post about 7 Random Things her readers might not know about her. I thought it seemed like a fun idea, so here are mine...

1. I am terribly accident prone/klutzy. I get injuries doing things that no other person would get hurt on. Example, I broke my tailbone when John was about two months old after I sat on a toy truck. I sprained my ankle twice in a year stepping off of curbs. I have three separate burns from cooking in the last two months (one is on my eyelid after boiling spaghetti sauce splashed me in the face.)

2. I am TERRIFIED of cockroaches. I mean jump an a chair or run out of the room, nearly in tears scared. I know it is irrational, but I can't help myself. I hate them so much that I am not even going to put a picture up.

3. I never really wanted to get married, or have kids when I was younger. I used to tell everyone that I wanted a dog, but that I was just going to leave a huge bag of food out so the dog could feed itself. A story that my mother likes to tell everyone. Then I saw my husband, who I dated and was friends with in high school, after a short absence. I realized that I wanted him in my life and quickly and profoundly fell in love with him. As soon as I fell in love I realized I wanted to have kids, hopefully several, with Josh.

The two happiest days of my life

Now I realize that being a wife and mother was what I was put on this earth to do.

4. I hoard stickers. I buy them to use them and then can't bear to part with them. I have hundreds in a box that I go through periodically and admire. It is such a strange obsession, but at least I am not hoarding old food or dead things ;)

5. I did IVF to get pregnant with John. I have so many awesome, memorable, and painful stories I love to share with people because it seems that everyone has questions.
The day of our embryo transfer

Who else is lucky enough to have a picture of their child at 5 days post conception?

6. I want to own a summer camp someday, preferably back east in Vermont. I would LOVE to teach writing, arts and crafts, healthy vegan cooking. Josh could teach gardening, electronics, outdoorsman stuff. A blob and a zipline would be necessities of course.

I am not really a big dreamer, but I have wanted that since childhood.

7. I am obsessed with Sarah McLachlan...total girl crush. Her music calms my soul, and it seems to do the same for my son. I even have a tattoo on my inner wrist of one of her drawings.

Happy Birthday

Today is my loves birthday, 29, but he still acts like a four year old :)

Every year that I spend with this man gets better and better. He keeps me on my toes, makes me laugh, makes me swoon, strengthens me, loves me...just makes my life better and complete. I am so thankful that I get to celebrate with him!

Money is tight, so it was a low key, crafty type birthday. I made him a few things and got him a journal to keep all of our goals/dreams/visions in.

Anyway, I just wanted to do a little post to celebrate this man of mine :)

Saturdays are for Family :)

We had such a great Saturday! We got up on Saturday morning and went for a three and a half hour hike up into the Superstitions. Josh had packed us some awesome snacks (homemade protein bars, cut up apples and oranges, dates, etc). I always get a little nervous about messing with John's sleep schedule because he is not the greatest sleeper, but he did so amazing. Josh carried him in the pack and John LOVED it. He kept talking about going "up mountain" for the rest of the day. It was so nice to get out and be outdoors after all of us have been sick.

Our little family. I get butterflies whenever I think about how lucky I am to have these to being in my life.

It was so beautiful out yesterday. I felt so lucky to be out in 65 - 70 degree weather because I know my family back east is freezing right now.

Doing a little rock climbing. He is so daring, which he definitely gets from daddy.

The two most handsome guys around.

This picture reminds me why he is the song of my life.

It was so GREEN! It almost looked like we weren't in AZ anymore

If there is a mess to be made, my son will find it :) I love that he likes to get all dirty and doesn't have to worry about the consequences.

After the hike and a nap, we went to a birthday party for John's cousin. John had a great time playing with the other kids, but he really really enjoyed the little pink playhouse. Pink things just call to him :)

That sweater is my favorite purchase from this winter. I got it on clearance at Target for 3 DOLLARS!!! SCORE!

Wanted

Today is one of those days when I wish I had a girl friend, a best friend in fact. Not that Joshua isn't my very best friend, because he is. But I miss girl talk. I miss talking about something other than kids, even though that is a lot of fun. I miss movie nights and eating out, window shopping, coffee, inside jokes...all of it. I know I haven't been a great friend in the past. I usually put my needs before everyone else's, but I am learning. Becoming a mom has made me less selfish, more introspective. So, maybe I need to join a singles group for friends, a dating service maybe... :)

Anyway, I had a night to myself tonight. Josh took John and I had the opportunity to do something that I wanted to do, so I went and saw The Lovely Bones. The book is one of my all time favorite reads. I just want to hug it every time I pick it up (which has probably been at least 10 - 11 times). The movie was different, but it didn't disappoint me. I enjoyed it a great deal. I loved all of the actors and actresses, and I thought Stanley Tucci was especially perfect in his role.

Tomorrow we are going hiking and then to a birthday party. Lets hope John doesn't pick anything up and stays healthy. It is looking like it will be a lovely weekend :)

Just Because They Are Cute...

We went for a walk at the Riparian park on Tuesday. I love that place so much. We brought som chicken scratch to feed the ducks and they followed us around while we walked on the little pier. So sweet :)

Play-Doh madness has taken over our house. We play all the time. John has taken to giving me a confused look when I make him stop playing to take a picture. I swear he was having a good time.

A huge crib to sleep in and he always finds a way to be curled in the most uncomfortable position possible.

He accidently ate the rind

He went to the dentist and he was so unbelievable good. No fussing at all really. I liked the densitst AND we got to go for free because we had a coupon that came in the mail. I LOVE getting a good deal.

We went to the AZ Museum for Youth before John got sick. He finds something new to enjoy every time we go.

Crafties and A Day Well Spent

It feels like it has been forever since I wrote a real blog. We have all been sick, what else is new right? :) John is pretty much better, but Josh and I have had some lingering sinus issues, so our house has been less full of adventure lately.

We did have a pretty great day today. We went to Barnes and Noble so John could play with the trains while I looked at some toddler parenting books. Up until now I have been able to discipline John pretty intuitively. He has been SUCH an easy kid. The last few days though, have been rough. He has been throwing temper tantrums and hitting when he gets upset. These are really typical behaviors, or so I have been told, but I want him to know that they need to stop. As I write this it seems like it should be really easy, but when it is happening I feel pretty powerless and I don't know exactly what to say or do. Since I am a firm believer in no spanking, I have to find some positive discipline tactics. I got a book by William Sears, who I think provides great information on a broad range of topics. I also got a book called The Everything Toddler Activites Book. I think it will have some awesome ideas for when we are cooped up over the summer.
Anyway, seeing John play with the trains inspired us to get his train tracks set up properly.

He was pretty thrilled...





Josh was pretty excited to play with them as well.

Also, here are some of the latest crafts I have been working on...

I sewed these little felt hearts into a garland for our door.

The big ones all have different details, but it was difficult to get a clear picture.

We made these suncatchers out of wax paper and crayons. John and I both like the way they turned out :)

I made this felt birthday hat so that our family can wear it on our birthdays. I like that we will have a tradition, which I think is incredibly fun and important.

And...I made some birthday cards for Happy Mail folks. There are six or seven of them, but I only took pictures of a few. They are pretty much all the same, just in different colors