Lisa:"Maybe you're getting stronger?" Homer:"Well, I have been eating more."

There isn't much to blog about when your days consist of lounging at the pool or taking naps, which is kind of what we've been doing this summer. We celebrated Canada day with steaks and croquet. The 4th of July with a parade and airbrushed tattoos. I do a lot of porch sitting and I've already read more books this summer than I did all year. I've been riding my bike a lot and yesterday had my first tipping over. My shoes clip into my peddles and when you stop, you have to un-clip one or both. My spin instructor told me I would inevitably have some falls but I've been lucky to just have some near falls. Yesterday at the end of my ride, I pulled into the driveway where Grace and Ryan were playing basketball. I clipped out of my one pedal and then just kind of tipped over on the other side. I'm grateful it was in my driveway and not at the many busy 4 way stops on my route. I wasn't hurt, except for a scraped elbow. I was kind of hoping today that I had some wicked road rash on my arm so I looked tough but no such luck. I'm not going to say this is "The Summer of Shea" because I don't want to visualize certain people rolling their eyes but this has, so far, been a great one. I'm on week 9 of my eating/exercise plan and I've lost both pounds and inches. Ryan is good at giving me compliments and encouragement. I was a little pissed when he made me go pick up his Five Guys order today. They get burgers and *sigh* fries, I get a chicken salad. Or the other day when he ate not one, but two chocolate bars in my presence. I am starting to feel the benefits from healthier eating and living and that's motivating. I'm getting wicked strong also. Today my weight lifting instructor told me, "That's some heavy weight you're lifting." I'm like Arnold.

Signs you've been together too long

Grace: I'm afraid of unicorns

Ryan and I in unison: You should be!

Where I pretend I'm a great mom (not just lazy) and give parenting advice
Two things I get sick of quickly in the summer are the mess left by my kids and them continually asking, "What are we doing today?" My answer to the first problem was to come up with a chore list they have to finish each morning. I do believe I will never unload a dishwasher again or at least until Grace leaves the house. These chores are pretty easy and usually take between 10 and 20 minutes. The other day I found Hanna commiserating with a friend on Facebook saying, "We have a chore list every morning!" Her friend replied with something like, "That's horrible!" You know what's horrible? Being born into a brothel in Bangladesh so stop you're whining.* Anyway, this chore list is fabulous and a great way to get out of doing things I dislike. Oh and I guess it teaches responsibility and junk.

Things I like and wish I got paid for endorsing
I admit I'm jealous of certain "Mommy" bloggers who seem to get free stuff all the time. Since I estimate about 10 people read my blog, it ain't going to happen for me. I'll endorse products for free because I'm super generous like that. I also like to know about new products that people are using/liking.

Tarte: Lights, Camera, Lashes! I've been using Clinique for years but I decided it was time to switch it up. This is from Sephora and it's all natural and stuff. That's good when you wear contacts because I've bought many a drugstore mascara that left my eyes feeling like they were on fire. It's also what I was wearing when I was asked, "if those were my real lashes?" so I'm assuming it makes your lashes look great.

Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polish is another Sephora (in Provo JCPenney or "Penneys" as I think it should be called) recommendation that I've really loved. It makes your lips tingly. I got it in Dolly and wear it all the time. I hardly wear anything else anymore. It's not gooey but stays put which I appreciate.

I've blogged before about my love for the Dansko mary-janes I bought last year and when I saw they came in red I knew they were going to be my 2011-12 school shoes. Ryan and I saw "Bad Teacher" this weekend and he pointed out that the crazy, neurotic teacher in the movie wore all Dansko shoes. Yes, they were making fun of the ugly shoes teachers wear. Haha! I told Ryan there was no way a real teacher could A) afford a pair of Louboutins (pretty much all CD wore in the movie and prices range from $600-5,000) or B) be able to last more than 5 minutes in a pair before your feet started to go numb. That being said, I do want all of Cameraon Diaz's shoes and clothes from that movie. Until then, I will continue to be the dorky teacher who wears the clogs.
(they are even more ruby red in real life)


*I watched a documentary about kids born into brothels in Bangladesh and now that is what I say whenever my kids whine about something being "unfair" or "boring".

"Remember as far as anyone knows, we're a nice normal family"

Here is where I get all deep and shit
It was more evident than usual this Christmas that we both come from very small families. This was the first Christmas in a while that we spent entirely alone. Ryan's mom left to visit his sister and his brother and wife were with her family. My brother's family who live in Canada were in Spain and my parents were home in Canada. My kids only have two cousins who we don't get to see often enough. When I was growing up, all of my mom's four siblings lived within driving distance of my Grandma's house. We would get together often with my cousins who lived nearby. I feel for my kids that they don't have this same family dynamic that I did. When we do go to Canada each summer, they love playing with their cousins and I'm happy that the two they do have are their same ages. It's pretty weird in Utah to have such a small family that only seems to be getting smaller. I'm sometimes jealous of people who get together with their large extended families for the holidays. Neither Ryan nor I ever wanted a huge family but we, well mostly I, were hoping for three. My brother and his wife were hoping for more also but neither of us got what we wanted. Christmas is a time that I really feel Evie's absence. I think about how fun it would be to have my three girls opening presents and how fun Christmas morning would be with a almost 4 year old added to the mix.
*I talked to a friend of mine with a large family after I wrote this entry and she said something like, "A big family just means there is more crazy." That's why I loves her.

Christmas!
Our first year with a mantle. I've always wanted to have our stockings that Nana knitted for us hanging on a mantle. Mine is the big one. One of my students gave me the "be merry" sign.

The girls wanted Snuggies for Christmas and I came through. I made them dance in them like they do in the commercial. If only they made them in kitty size.

I'm starting to realize that while Hanna is the size of a little girl (I had to buy her size 7 skinny jeans so they'd actually be skinny.) she is in grade 5 and not such a little girl anymore. I thought this outfit she got for Christmas made her look like such the tween. They do grow up fast.

Here I talk about things I like
I guess this is becoming a regular thing, where I talk about products I like. If I can just help one person, it will worth it. I am in no way compensated for these endorsements. I also feel conflicted because I want to be cool like Mimi Smartypants and not a corporate whore like Dooce. So this is just me talking about things I have purchased and liked enough to want to tell others about.
I like Kiehls lip gloss. My friend Christine had some and she is cool so I thought I'd try some. It smells great, is the perfect consistency, not too sticky and lasts quite a long time. It's $14.50 at Nordstrom and I like the clear but they have all kinds of great colors.

I got a sample of this parfum at Nordstrom when I bought some makeup and I really like it. It was sold out when I decided to finally buy it but when I searched online, I saw that Target sells it too. The description describes it as: "Romantic and sensual, this alluring floral fragrance contains vanilla, musk and violet." They'll make you a free sample at Nordstrom if you want to try it. Oh and my birthday is in 2 weeks.

American Eagle skinny jeans. Relatively cheap (all are on sale right now), stretchy and look good when tucked into boots which is the only way grown women should wear them. The only downside is the low rise. I just wear longer shirts over them.