Get hair cut.

Get hair cut.

It seems no matter how many times I get my hair cut, it always grows back...

Break in new running shoes.

Break in new running shoes.

A new pair of my favorite running shoes arrived yesterday and I can't wait to break them in today. Stepping into brand spankin' new running shoes (especially these super cushy ones) is one of the best feelings in the world.




I will also have to try out the neon orange reflective material at night. They are supposed to increase visibility but they are so orange and so reflective I'm convinced they may provide night vision as well.

Watch HSM2.

Watch HSM2.

That's "High School Musical 2" for those of you not in the know. It premiered last Friday on the Disney Channel--with record breaking audiences, I might add. Did I record it? Of course I did. Am I the biggest 20-something dork ever? Of course I am.

Can't wait to watch it!

Dress as well as my daughter.

Dress as well as my daughter.

Off to Kindergarten in her skinny jeans and peasant top... so cute! If only I could dress so trendy. (Not that my cut off sweats and tee shirt I'm currently donning aren't cute. Well...shoot.)

Use Water Filter.

Use Water Filter.

I was floored when I read this article on how Salt Lake City won a contest for best tasting water. Mostly because not 20 minutes outside the city, my city's tap produces what quite possibly is the foulest tasting water known to man. Maybe it's not that different. Maybe I'm spoiled with bottled water and I can just feel really sorry for the rest of the nation. But even my three-year old son cringes in disgust when I try to trick him with a glass from the tap.

I do, however, feel guilty for filling my recycling bin twice a month solely with water bottles. I think eventually I will give in to a filter on the tap. But it's just so hard to give up the convenience of grabbing a water bottle on the way out the door, or throwing it in my tote on the way to the pool, or putting it beside my bed for when I wake up without worrying about floaties and bugs I can't see floating in it in the middle of the night. If I recycle the plastic bottles, am I really that bad of a person for enjoying them?

Order School Shirts.

Order School Shirts.

Aren't the elementary school t-shirts awesome? (Say yes because I designed them). I know, you can't wait to see the backs. Here they are:

The girls' shirts are cap-sleeved and fitted and the boys are 3/4 sleeve. My favorite though are the hoodies. Available in adult sizes too!

Ban video games in our home.

Ban video games in our home.

Well, all except Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, of course.

I just read about a new service that allows gamers to pay, say $10, to play a video game online against other players and the winner takes home the proceeds from that game. This has to be the worst idea ever. It is also my husband's dream come true, so it's a good thing it is banned in the state where I live. Here is the article about it. My favorite is how they claim it is not like gambling at all.

Have my plants call me.

Have my plants call me.

I got the biggest kick out of this segment on "Good Morning America."

It is a device that triggers your plant to call you, identify itself, and let you know what it needs. I can't tell you how much I need this. The voices crack me up. My favorite is the Scottish Moss (2:50 into the segment). Check it out here.

Take advantage of summer.

Take advantage of summer.

Schools starts next week. That's right, next week. Then comes fall, which I love, but then...then comes winter. I don't so much like winter.

At all.

As I checked off the days of winter, I told myself I was going to take advantage of summer this year--be outdoors and appreciate it before everything froze over again. We still have time and will still do more but already the days are getting shorter and I feel as though we should have tried harder.

But here are a couple of things we did get out and do...

Fourth of July fishing

Best Buds

Jake's friends and their boys went fishing the morning of the fourth and caught what I think are the cutest pictures ever.

Small town carnival

1st pony ride

I love that we live in a town small enough for hometown carnivals and rodeos. Yee haw!

And I have the best neighbors ever-seriously I couldn't have picked better neighbors--and we threw a rockin' fourth of July celebration with inflatable waterslides, bounce houses, egg races (I anchored the winning ladies team, thank you, thank you) other games, lots of food, and fireworks (until the cops busted us for being in a no-forework zone and we sat on our decks and watched ten different simultaneous fireworks shows in the valley!) Good times.

Bubbles

Water Slides

You can see she takes these things as seriously as I do.

Fireworks in the circle.

Throw Taylor's Birthday Party.

Throw Taylor's Birthday Party.

Taylor had her birthday party today.

Hello Kitty was the theme for the nine little girls we had over. Jake ducked out near the beginning and left me trying to juggle the craft projects, birthday cake and candles, presents, pinata fanfare, and multiple emotional breakdowns by the birthday girl (we had to have a second round with the pinata where I shook candy out of the headless kitty for only Taylor to grab) all by myself-- thus my explanation for lack of photos this year.

I am all partied out. No more summer babies.

The photos I did get after the party...

(Taylor made this mouse from one of her birthday presents and I just thought it was really cute)

Take Anniversary Trip.

Take Anniversary Trip.

Jake and I have been married 8 years today.

Yup, 8 years. Who'd a thought?

No trips this year but it's on my list for when we reach the big 10.

This was our last anniversary trip. It was our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta. I can't help but think it looks like a "before" picture. And that it was so long ago digital cameras were a new phenomenon, thus the blurry picture.

Happy Anniversary, hun, I love you!

Throw Chase's Birthday Party.

Throw Chase's Birthday Party.

Chase had his 3-year old birthday party yesterday. After pouring through the party catalog that came in the mail last week, he chose Ninja Turtles as the theme.

Coincidentally, my younger brother, with three of his friends, dressed as the four ninja turtles one day in high school.

My mom thought it clever to overnight that costume to my older brother, who lives in town.



















He accepted the challenge. And it totally made the party.

(I also emailed this picture to his girlfriend, along with the information that it can be made poster-size at Costco for only $9)

To complete the 80's flashback, Chase's big present from us was a new big wheel.



Happy Birthday, Chase! (Don't make fun of my last-minute make-shift Michelangelo Ninja Turtle cake. There was a reserve store-bought cake for guest consumption.)

Speak Spanish.

Speak Spanish.

I took 6 years of Spanish in the course of my education and know enough to communicate in the language.

About three of four times a year the opportunity presents itself to use this aquired knowledge. Every time I shy away from it.

Case in point. Last week a spanish-speaking man rang my doorbell and handed me a paper with directions written in spanish. I could see he was supposed to install granite at an address on a different street with the same number coordinates as mine. I knew how to give him basic directions in Spanish but he waved his co-worker out of the car who I could see knew a little English. The directions came to me first in Spanish. But did I use the Spanish? No, I translated it in my head first to English and made lots of hand motions to give them the directions. What an idiot.


Next on my life-long to-do list? Embrace those Spanish-speaking opportunities. No matter how idiot I sound, I can't look more idiodic than I did giving those directions with big wild arm gestures.

Go to splash park.

Go to splash park.


Our neighborhood has the coolest little splash park that my kids LOVE. I loved it too last year mostly because it was a good excuse to be outside in a bathing suit (to get a tan, not to show off my awesome Mom-bod). But this year everyone seems to be showing up fully-clothed. I am working up the courage to try to change that.


The 100-degree heat sent us over last week. Here is the abbreviated portfolio of the afternoon :










Love these guys.

Declare "Friday Night Blackouts".

Declare "Friday Night Blackouts".

Pretty much all power in the city and neighboring city went out yesterday afternoon and stayed out until 10pm.

When the kids came running in complaining their TV was off, my first reaction was panic.

But them something really great happened. First, I realized I would not be able to cook dinner. Such a shame. With that stress off my back, I began picking up the house. Then the most amazing thing happened--the kids started helping.

I had no emails calling to me to come sit down and take a break at the computer. I had no guilt over failing to work on my website or getting anything listed on eBay. Soon, the house was clean and without computers and air conditioners and TV, it was quiet. I was in a little bit of heaven.

Then it got hot. Really hot. And it didn't feel so much like heaven anymore. So we went out to dinner.

I came home to lights, cool air, and a clean house without any dinner dishes. I think I am going to call the power company and see what we can do to to schedule a blackout every Friday night (but only until 10pm).

Go to Book Club.

Go to book club.

This is our book club. What a fun bunch of hot chicks, huh?

Susannah had the novel idea (no pun intended) of holding book club this month at her vacation home in St. George and extending our typical 4-hour time slot away from husbands and kids into about 4-days.

Jake, for some reason, wasn't as excited about it as I was, but I sure thought it was a great idea.

While we do actually read a book and discuss it every month (ok FINE I never finished "These is my Words" but I read them most months, I promise), we realized our common interests are much more broad and thought, why limit ourselves to books? So we decided to re-name it simply "club".

Future excursion plans include a self-defense class, tennis lessons, definitely more Dance Dance Revolution (including the husbands next time), and bowling. I don't think everyone was crazy about my "tap-dancing book" idea as our bowling team logo, but they'll warm to the idea.

Emily is going to learn to play the fiddle and I think Val and Nat should learn drums and keyboard. I would fight Sue for rights to the guitar and win, and Sue proved she would definitely, definitley be awesome at lead vocals. And any dance choreography.

Clearly, I had a great time. Can't wait for the next one.

Shop IKEA.

Shop IKEA.

IKEA opened in town today. People had been waiting in line since Monday for the Grand Opening. Monday? Seriously?

I mean, they have some cool kids stuff, but their inexpensive grown-up stuff isn't all that inexpensive or grown up.

Don't get me wrong, it's on my list to go, but waiting in line to get in when the doors open? Entertainers for the opening day crowds?

Strange.

Give up Diet Coke.

Give up Diet Coke.

I didn't think axing Diet Coke from my life completely was a real long-term possibility until today. While out dropping off mail at the post office, I was taken by thirst and suddenly, I realized I hadn't had Diet Coke in a couple of weeks (gasp) and immediately stopped for one at the next Wendy's (who incidentally carries the best-tasting Diet Coke).

And it did nothing for me. No euphoria as I took the first sip, no calming sensation as it slid down my throat--nothing but maybe a little disgust for the taste that had become such a good friend of mine. I didn't even finish the drink-- which has never, ever happened. (I think I hold the record at numerous restaurants for most glasses of any beverage consumed by a single customer).

Then I came home and drank a Gatorade and realized this delightful beverage has been replacing my Diet Coke addiction the last couple of weeks. Gatorade and I --we have a history. We have been through a lot together. Gatorade has been my life-long "feel-better" drink since it first comforted me while I lie dying on the side of the track after my first-ever 400m race in high school. It has since gotten me through pregnancy sicknesses and ugly bouts of influenza and now, without me even realizing it, it has supported me through my Diet Coke withdrawal. Diet Coke, you are nothing to me.

Ah, a new addiction. Sugar-laden, yes, but still better than Diet Coke, no?

Go to the zoo.

Go to the zoo.

It's zoo season and we kicked it off Friday in 90 degree weather with every elementary school class in the state. We had to wait in line to see animals. It felt wrong.

But it yielded some super-cute photos as trips to the zoo always do.




I took this picture of the kids . . .


Then afterwards Taylor walked up to me and said casually, like she'd done it a hundred times before, "Ok, now I'll take one of you" and held her hand out for the camera. Then she took her first photograph ever. . .


Not bad.

Vacuum House.

Vacuum House.

We have been through 5 vacuums in the past 2 years.

Two of those were in the past two months, and when the last one stopped working a couple of weeks ago, I was finally ready to admit there may be a problem with the operator of the vacuums, and not the vacuums themselves.

May.

Not that I am a particularally wreckless vacuumer. Sure, I suck up a cord here and there, get a bathroom rug caught in the brush everyonce in a while, and maybe now and again send a coin or two tumbling around the belt, each time, but wreckless? Nah.

Regardless, since the others were all from Costco and returnable until I wore out my vacuum privileges there, I am vowing to be more careful with our new vacuum, which although is the least expensive one yet, has killer reviews and so far (it's been used once today and I cautiously only sucked up one rug and it only smelt like burning rubber for like 2 minutes), I like and recommend very much.