Jesser.Org

Jul

2010

Roam if You Want to, Roam Around the World

We really love to travel. I love all types of vacations ... the ones where you sit around and just relax and the action-packed ones where there's tons of things to see and do and taste.

But that was before we had kids. Honestly, it's a pain in the butt nowadays. Not that I don't enjoy vacations, it's just the getting ready and getting there. Even when I try my hardest, there's still a ton of stuff to lug around. Car trips are marginally better stuff wise, since I don't have to transfer it 3 or 4 times, but that's probably trumped by the travel itself. Little kids + long hours in the car = whine.

Still, we travel quite a lot. Two or three larger (usually plane) trips a year and then plenty of little forays near home. This year we went to Nashville in April and we are going to California in September. We've been to Vail to ski and sun a few times as well. And there will be more of that. Travel is one of the reasons I work. It's super important to us to be able to travel as a family for many many reasons.

But for now, we will probably stay mostly stateside. But in the distantish future, we want to take the kids abroad and let them see the world. Some places/things we want to see:

the list >>

posted by Jess at 6:41 am • QuickRef • filed under: Travel • comments [2]

Jul

2010

Summer Lovin' Links

• a PBJ ice cream cone - genius!
• amazing, original baby photography: Mila's Dreams
• great article on praising your kids properly
• cheap ways to deck the walls
• cool hinge tape
• you ain't seen helmets like these before!
• cool splashy summer fun: DIY trike/bike wash
• awesome magnetic animal photo holders for you to make
• LOL! poor comic sans!
• great baby stuff on Etsy
• eat what the boob tube shills at your own peril!
• a fan will keep the mosquitoes away
• gui app inventor for Android (I seriously did a nerdy little jig when I saw this)
• art projects for campouts
• charming petite francais b'day party
• cool merry-go-round for your kids' books
• tattoo your child for safety ... incidentally, I just saw cool bracelets made with alphabet beads to have mom's phone number in them
• spend a summer afternoon making some mud people
• incredible hand-painted tiffins
• Woot sticks it to the AP ... way to go
• great photos with a point-and-shoot
• other uses for your dishwasher
• fab Dr. Seuss b'day party

posted by Jess at 6:41 am • QuickRef • filed under: Life • no comments

Jul

2010

Ben at 15 Months

Little MAN turned another month old on Saturday. It is impossible to relate to you how amazing he is. We are so enjoying having this little guy as part of our family. He's so wonderfully different from Tabby both in his personality and his developmental progression.

We sometimes call his sister "Timid Tabby" but to be fair, maybe we should call him "Brash Ben." We walk near a river and he is completely fascinated and practically ready to dive in. At the water fountains and spray grounds (I don't dare take him to the pool on my own), he runs through the water with abandon and glee. He climbs anywhere and everywhere and is terribly pleased with himself to summit any object. He knows good and well how to back down stairs but whines until someone will take his hand and he can walk down. He will practice any small elevation transition repeatedly until he can do up and down all on his own, no crawling. He has had quite a few injuries from his escapades, including most recently (this weekend) a bloody lip, nose and tooth all from one fall.

more about Ben >>

Where Tabby could say quite a few words by this point, Ben is more reserved. Yet his vocabulary has grown measurably in the past month or so. Like Tabby, he repeatedly asks "What's that?" to demand the word for anything he comes across. Many of his words are variations on "ba ba." This can mean anything from ball (using a singular "ba") to "bye-bye" to "bottle" to "FOOD NOW!" Also closely related is one of his favorite objects, "booo!" (books). He says a few names now. "Dada" is reserved mostly for Matt, but he uses it on all of his loved ones occasionally. I am frequently "mamaaaa" but not always. He usually refers to Tabby as "saaasay" though we have heard him pronounce both "sissy" correctly as well as "Tabby", though neither consistently. He occasionally refers to my sister by the Tabby-given moniker of "Gaga" and now, pleasing my father to no end, knows how to say and uses "Papa!" correctly.

His disposition is very sweet, but when he gets tired, the claws (quite literally) come out and he is frequently admonished with "Pat Sister gently" and "That hurts Mommy!" He knows when we direct him not to do something and responds to the "1 ... 2 ... 3 ..." counting we do with Tabby fairly well. Of course just as often, you get a mischievous grin as he turns back to the forbidden activity. He loves to pull silverware out of the dishwasher, play in the toilet (if we don't remember to close it) and unroll the toilet paper. If he is left alone for even a second upstairs you can be sure he has either run to our bath tub and turned the faucet on (he can only reach cold) or to his bookshelves to unshelf every single book on them. Besides the forbidden, he is most in love with his trucks right now and makes all appropriate sounds, as well as his books. Anything he can bang is a big hit too.

He continues to be a great eater, except when he's sick. When he doesn't feel well, he reverts back to his best buddy, milk, and won't eat much else. Even well, he drinks about a gallon and a half a week all on his own, just during the time he spends at home. But when he's feeling good, he eats very well. Fruit is his perennial favorite and I am not sure what he'll do when summer's over. He can easily devour an entire clamshell of berries over the course of a day, even in a single sitting. He loves pasta with just about anything on it, meatballs, quesadillas, stir-fried veggies, and anything carb-heavy.

Possibly best of all, he loves to snuggle. In the morning, or after a long nap, he loves crawling into bed with us for a good snuggle. And in the shower, he could lie on our shoulders for a long time, snuggled up and happy in the warm water. It is about the only time aside from sleep when he is still. It's wonderful.

He is wonderful. We are blessed.

<< sweet little man

posted by Jess at 6:19 am • QuickRef • filed under: Ben • comments [2]

Jul

2010

A Weekend Conversation

It was a nice, typical, busy weekend. Did more shopping than I like, including a $200+ trip to Costco. I have decided we're not going back 'til September.

After we went to the gym on Sunday (sans kids, they were at my mom's), we went to Jamba Juice over by her house before picking them up. As we were leaving, Matt had to tell me the big news.

Matt: Denver's getting a Blueberry.
Me: A what?
Matt: The ice cream place.
Me: I think you mean Pinkberry.
Matt: No I'm pretty sure it's Blueberry.
Me: No, I really think you mean Pinkberry. They serve frozen yogurt - they're kind of a big deal, at least to some people.
Matt: Oh. Maybe so ... They have them in California.
Me: Yep, that's the one.
- a minute or so elapses-
Matt: Oh Blueberry. They're the British Clothing company, right?
Me: No, that's Burberry. Plaids galore.
Matt: Oh.
Me: I'm so blogging this.

posted by Jess at 6:22 am • QuickRef • filed under: Misc • comments [3]

Jul

2010

Tshirts

If you have kids, I'm sure you understand. They're available for sale in my Cafe Press Shop if you're interested. Matt and Tabby's are on order.

posted by Jess at 8:28 pm • QuickRef • filed under: Shopping • comments [2]

Jul

2010

What's Up?

I both love and hate vacation. Wait, scratch that. I love vacation while I'm on it and kind of hate it when I get back. There's just so much to be done. We have to catch up. We have to get back in our routine. We have to do the dreaded LAUNDRY. It just takes a while and I don't feel in control and I hate that.

So now we are scrambling to find normal again. Last night I came home and had a nap. Tabby came up and snuggled me and watched Mulan on the TV in my room. We had popcorn for dinner. We went for a walk as a family. I stayed up too late catching up on email and that sort of thing.

I have not had a real run in over a week which is killing me. We went out a couple times in Vail, but Matt and I were both suffering from GI issues and runners will tell you that the two really do not mix. We had fun, burnt calories, etc. but we did not run hard. Tonight is the night. I've got two back eps of both Make it or Break it and Jillian and they are my reward for getting my butt back on the treadmill. The Disneyland Half is in like 5 or 6 weeks and I've got to get my butt moving (more).

Now that I've moaned and whined, I need to suck it up and get back in the groove. I'll start by making sure I actually cook dinner tonight. Taco salads. Yum.

posted by Jess at 7:59 am • QuickRef • filed under: Misc • comments [2]

Jul

2010

Summer in the Mountains

Sorry for my absence. We had a crazy crazy busy week last week and then immediately left for the mountains. I especially love Vail in the summer - it is so nice to get away from the heat and manic pace of the city (and our regularly scheduled life). We always have a lot of nothing planned, though of course with little kids running around, things are busy enough. We had my parents, sister and our friend Holly and her boys with us.

The big hit of the weekend, given the HOT HOT HOT temps, was the children's fountain, where the kids went crazy running around in the spray. Ben even got in on the action and enjoyed himself hugely. We had to go twice to get our fix. We also got to ride to the top of the mountain in the gondola, mercifully free thanks to our ski passes, where we had dinner and checked out the beautiful views. We went for a couple of runs. We walked around town ... to the playgrounds, to the gardens, to pet dogs. We did a bit of shopping. We made good food. We relaxed. We played games.

I always enjoy spending extra time with the kids. It is fun to get away from the typical routine of have-tos and just have fun - playing trucks with Ben, coloring with Tabby, hearing all they have to say. I'm already looking forward to our next holiday!

posted by Jess at 6:20 am • QuickRef • filed under: Travel | Photography • comments [4]

Jul

2010

What's Cooking: Volume 14

Summer marches on! We continue to be busy busy at our house and enjoying every minute of it. I have less to say these days about our cooking habits, though it's not because we're not cooking. We've been very diligent on the homecooking front. But we've had a lot of repeats and quickies and simplicity. And I like it that way, especially in the summer.

Some of the things we've been eating:
• personal pizzas, constructed on sandwich thins
• quiche! lots and lots of quiche - the asparagus mushroom bacon one was the biggest hit
• corn on the cob
• popcicles - mostly store bought, sorry to disappoint (the hubby, he loves the bomb pops!)
• tortellinis with meatballs (one of the kids favorites and something I almost always make when Matt is out of town)
• stirfry
• squash casserole
• sandwiches!!
• breakfast burritos (only with Boulder Sausage Co. chorizo, thank you very much)

This weekend we are headed to the mountains. I am making up a big batch of turkey bean chili and some chewy chocolate cookies. I also plan to make some berry french toast (with bacon, duh).

We have yet to visit a farmer's market this summer. I want to get to one for the sights and sounds alone. We've been completely spoiled with Sunflower Markets so nearby and get great deals on good produce from them. And if I had all the $$/time in the world, I would take the whole family to the Olathe Sweet Corn festival as well as peach-picing on the western slope.

Summer is all too brief!

posted by Jess at 7:40 am • QuickRef • filed under: Cooking/Food • comments [3]

Jul

2010

Big Gulp of Mommy Guilt

Neither of my kids is much for separation anxiety. I took Tabby to her sitter's for the first time when she was around 2 months old and she was there full time from about 3 months on. They have both stayed overnight with my parents, starting around 6 months. We have had moments here and there. Tabby would occasionally take a notion when we dropped her off at her sitter's house in the morning and cry when we tried to leave, but she was always over it as soon as we left. And one time, she didn't want to stay overnight at Grammy and Papa's. I think this was just before Ben was born. There was a similar incident when she stayed with them for a few days right after she was born.

I've never seen any of this from Ben and it's been a long time for Tabby (over a year?). For the most part, we are unceremoniously shoved out the door with subtle or not so subtle hints. "Bye Mommy and Daddy" or "You need to go now so we can play!"

And then there was this morning. I was getting out of the shower (running late) when Tabby walked into the bathroom and greeted me good morning. As I dried off and got dressed, we chatted. I gave her hugs and kisses and she seemed in a pretty good mood (even if she was up a bit too early). Then she asked me if I was going to take her to her sitter's house.

I told her that I wasn't. Daddy would take her as usual and I would head off to work. I expected her to be like she always is, unperturbed by these things. Instead, her little face clouded over and she wailed, "I want YOU to take me to Stephanie's!!" She immediately burst into tears.

I gathered her up and snuggled her and asked her what the matter was. Matt almost always takes her to the sitters. It allows me to get into work early so I can work my 4 10s and have Fridays off with her and Ben. She reiterated her desire that I should take her to Stephanie's. Then she said the killer, "I want you. You are always at work!" Yikes ... right through the heart.

Logically I know that if I had taken her to her sitter's, she probably would have rushed in and not even given me a backwards glance. I know that she probably woke up way too early and was overtired and also a bit thrown by the fact that I took her all last week when Matt was out of town. I know that I work for many good, logical and well-thought-out reasons. But man, that is rough to hear.

posted by Jess at 7:02 am • QuickRef • filed under: Tabitha • comments [5]

Jul

2010

Five Things Friday

1. I've been doing loads of ExerSurfing on my Walkstation. I can even keep up a 2MPH pace. It's great fun and I feel like it sort of keeps me from wasting time on the computer. There's more of an active mentality while you're walking versus a passive mentality while sitting. Soon, though, I think I shall try playing Farm Frenzy.

2. It has been rainy here this week. I really like the rain because we don't get much of it. The only bummer is that I'd like to use the cooler weather to my advantage and do some runs in it, but Matt has been out of town, so I've been confined to the treadmill.

3. It is getting rather hard to stuff Ben's feet in his baby Keens (size 6, yo). I might have to grab the 7s that Tabby wore last summer and try them out. Happily, they are blue and green, not pink, or even purple.

4. Our friends' boys are staying over tonight. We had dinner and then took everyone to the park. For fun, I brought out the Lens Baby that I all-too-rarely play with and photographed the kids playing. I got some pretty fun shots of them.

5. I made two types of quiche this week: broccoli cheddar and bacon mushroom asparagus. The later reigned supreme. What is so very very yummy about bacon? Tabby gobbled down two slices in one sitting and didn't say word one about the green stuff lurking in her pie. I love me some quiche in the summer, with a green salad ... this time I did eggwhites which was very successful and quite healthful. Yay me.

posted by Jess at 9:50 am • QuickRef • filed under: Misc • comments [2]

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My name is Jess. I'm a 30ish wife and mom to two awesome kids. I have a very full life of mothering, cooking, working, crafting and occasionally running, which I love. I also love (audio) books, chocolate, wine, Photoshop and sleeping in. This is my blog. Read more »

July
~~4 - Independence Day BBQ and Outdoor Movie~~
~~7 - Kelly (Gaga)'s Birthday~~
~~13 - FOTR: Super Bad~~
~~15 - Vail, Baby!~~
~~19 - FOTR: Monty Python and the Holy Grail~~
~~27 - FOTR: Clueless!!!~~
August
4 - Jess turns THIRTY
14 - Papa's Birthday
17 - 8 Years of Wedded Bliss
22 - Heart and Sole 10K
28 - Skirt Chaser 5K