All I want is an umbrella in my drink

I have been experiencing my yearly winter sad fest where I think all is wrong with me and the world. Not good blog fodder unless you like to wallow in others misery. I think anyone who lives in any part of the North American continent that experiences snow should be given a week long paid vacation to somewhere warm in January. I'm also in need of a haircut in a bad way which always ruins my mood. Oh poor Shea, needs a haircut and has to wait until next week. I am looking forward to getting my eyebrows waxed on Saturday. It's time to tame these Eastern European suckers! So yeah, I'm grumpy which makes blogging seem silly but I'm going to put something out there anyway.
This is keeping me going. Photos of our resort.




Are Toms shoes ugly?
It's not secret I'm a bit of a fashion victim (Uggs. Seriously.) but whatever. I'm contemplating buying some Toms shoes. Ryan thinks they are hideous but he pretty much hates all kinds of shoes I like except high heels and all-stars. I need opinions from others. Don't be diplomatic.

Speaking of fashion victims
It's official, I'm an idiot. A friend told me about a website that sold Uggs for about half price. Yes, they were in China but even real UGGS are made in China. I know! Surprised? I envisioned some Paul Hogan type sheering a sheep and stitching my boots in a quaint Aussie workshop. No, it's most likely 13 year old Chinese girls who get paid in slaps. I ignored all the warning signs (horrible English translations on the website was one) and ordered my boots. When they came, it was obvious they were fakes. They looked pretty good but I could tell. Also my much more intelligent friend Kim, sent me to the official UGGS website that tells you how to spot counterfeit websites. Yep, mine was one. That would have been useful information before I ordered them Kim. I'm kind of weird about fake things, especially shoes. So it really bugged me that they weren't real. I put them on KSL disclosing that they were fakes and actually sold them last week. I took the money plus some birthday money and bought these:

When you are hypothyroid your feet are always cold in the winter. They may not be cute but they keep my feet warm. It's better than giving up and wearing slippers everywhere.

Family "fun"
The girls played Just Dance2 at a friend's house and told me they wanted to pool their money and buy it. Hanna had just babysat for the first time and was feeling rich. If you need a babysitter, Hanna is more responsible than the rest of the Van Fleet's put together. We drove to GameStop where Hanna traded in 3 DS games and Grace 1. Ryan bought the game and then we figured out what they each owed us after in the car. I can tell you that Grace does not understand economics. There were so many things wrong with her reasoning, I found it alarming. As far as I can tell, she thinks Wii games cost about $10 (reality $40-50) and that if your sister trades in more games than you, you should still be responsible for the same amount. There was crying, loud talking (trying not to yell) and then laughter which only made the crying worse. Is it wrong that we laugh when our children cry? Prolly.
Just dance is wicked fun and a killer workout. It fulfills my secret desire to be a go-go dancer.

We've done made a fine nerd
Hanna passed the advanced placement test for jr. high. It's official, my child is "advanced". You may all bow down and worship me because I'm obviously the best parent ever. It must be because of all those days I placed her in front of Dora with some cheerios and a sippy cup while I went back to sleep. I bet it was the co-op preschool Kristin and I did that involved our kids who-knows-what together while we gossiped. We will let Hanna decide if she wants to participate in the program. Honestly, it looks like a lot of work for both her and us. I might be too lazy to have an "advanced" kid.