The weekend, and then some

First up, we have a winner from the J.R. Watkins Giveaway!

Congratulations to commenter #47, The Adventures of a Blondie Mommie! Christy, I’ll be emailing you shortly!

*****

This weekend, there was a baby shower, and it was SO CUTE, if I do say so myself. I  can say that, because I had very little to do with the execution of the shower.

There was yet another wreath, made by yours truly, the banner is from Whimsy and Wise, and the favors were filled with homemade caramel corn, in cute bags with customized labels.

I have wanted to do a balloon ceiling like that ever since I saw it here, but I haven’t had the space until we lived in this house. I really loved the effect and my kids loved all of the leftover balloons. The lighting is crummy in that picture, but it wasn’t that dark in the room. There was tons of natural light, which was fortunate because we couldn’t turn on the lights in the dining room without popping all of the balloons.

On Sunday we tried a new church, and this is the first time we’ve left Bubette in the nursery. We came back to a very teary baby girl being bounce-walked around the room. She seemed like she was on the verge of calming down, but lost her mind when she saw me. Bub was fine, and all he could remember about his morning was that Jaden is not a nice boy. He hit me.

So, new church? Not earning any points from this girl!

Yesterday was back to business as usual until I dropped a kitchen chair on my foot. I was sure that I had broken my toe, and wondered at what point I should call my husband, and then realized that I haven’t shaved my legs in… more than a day or two. I debated the merits of attempting to slap a little polish on my winter neglected toes right up until the pain started to abate. I’m left with a bruise, and not much else, but for about an hour, I thought I would be the girl with nine toes. Vain and overly dramatic will totally be the title of my memoir.

Marshmallow Pops

We’re having a baby shower here on Saturday, and while my main contribution is the house, I did offer to make these little marshmallow treats.

I can not make a cake pop to save my life. They’re cute and they’re delicious, but I’ve officially given up. I’ve tried several times, and no matter what you tell me, I will not believe that they are easy. But, I can make these super simple marshmallow pops, that are easily as cute as a cake pop and about seventeen steps more simple. A friend told me I would have to teach her how to make these, and so here is the tutorial. I assure you, a monkey could successfully make these pops.

Start with your ingredients.

• Chocolate chips or candy melts (I typically use the Wilton brand that you can find at Michael’s if I need a color.)
• Marshmallows
• Sprinkles (optional, but CUTE)
• Straws or lollipop sticks (Or you can use something edible like a candy cane or a pretzel, but that never occurs to me as I’m making these.)

Melt the candy per the directions on the package. The candy melts call for being melted at 50% power for a minute and a half, and then to continue heating in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until all of the candy is melted.

I didn’t take a picture of the step by step process, but essentially you dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate, and place it on a cookie sheet to dry. If you’re going to use sprinkles, you want to add them immediately. I usually dip two or three marshmallows and then sprinkle them, otherwise the candy will dry and not hold the sprinkles.

Once your candy or chocolate has hardened, add your lollipop stick. Some people add these before dipping, but then you have to find a more creative way to dry your pops, and I have never had a problem with adding the sticks after the marshmallows have been dipped.

You can display your marshmallows any way you want, but I typically wrap them in a treat bag and tie them with a ribbon.

These can be customized to work with any theme. You can tie a thank you tag on with the ribbon and use them as party favors, or they make a cute addition to the ubiquitous dessert table.

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

I’ve recently started recording reruns of the Big Bang Theory, even though I’ve seen them all already. I had completely forgotten how Penny and Leonard broke up, and that episode stirred up all sorts of unwanted emotions. Yes, I’m emotional about these two, even though my rational brain knows that they’re not getting back together anytime soon.

Through the process I’ve come across my favorite episode ever, The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis. This clip of the last three minutes of the episode is the best part, although I highly recommend hunting the episode down and watching it now. The chemistry is so great in this episode, particularly between Penny and Leonard, that I have to assume that this was filmed when Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki were real-life dating. (I’ve gone off the deep end here, haven’t I?) I’m trying very hard to not fall down the rabbit hold of TBBT You Tube clips (Too late.)

In other news, I charmed the cable company into giving us Showtime for free again, so I'm catching up on Homeland. I’ve got two or three episodes to go until the end of the season, and then I’m going to fall into a deep depression because there are many, long months in between seasons on Showtime.  I think I’ll fill that hole with Shameless, and since the entire first season is available On Demand (This is the first time I’ve ever had On Demand and I want to marry it and have its babies.) I can start from the  beginning and have days of entertainment ahead of me. My husband is thrilled.

What my husband is in fact thrilled about is that we have begun my Star Wars education. I have never seen a single Star Wars movie, but I have promised that if he’s ever willing to sit with me through all six movies, AND the inevitable barrage of questions that will accompany each movie, that I will commit to watching them all. We’re one movie in and… I didn’t hate it. We’ll see where I stand five movies from now.

What are you watching?

J.R. Watkins Naturals Giveaway

Just before the holidays, I had a chance to visit the brand new J.R. Watkins Naturals store in the Irvine Spectrum. The store itself is adorable, and I was immediately drawn to the pretty labels on everything. See for yourself:

Yes, I would like every single one of those in my pantry right this minute.
J. R. Watkins is more than just a pretty face. Offering items including personal care, cleaning products, spices and seasonings and a brand new baby care line, their products deliver.
There are several scents to choose from including: Vanilla, Lavender, Coconut, Aloe and Green Tea, Lemon, Mango, and Grapefruit. The Aloe and Green Tea is my personal favorite, and the hand and body lotion in this scent is my new every day product. The scents are all pleasant, but not overwhelming.
I fell in love with the Coconut Sugar and Shea Body Scrub, the Shea Butter Body Cream (which I use on my poor, neglected hands every single night now,) and the Grapefruit All Purpose Cleaner.
I also love J.R. Watkins Naturals’ commitment to our bodies and our environment. They’re very clear about what their cleaning and body products are made with (and made without,) and their spices and extracts are all USDA organic.
Of course I have something for you, too. The people at J.R. Watkins Naturals have offered to send one of you the Coconut Sugar and Shea Body Scrub (that I love so much,) the Coconut Body Lotion and the Coconut Body Oil Mist. Seems like the perfect way to bring a little summer to a chilly winter to me.
Simply leave a comment below before next Monday, January 23 at noon PST. (Since Blogger’s commenting system leaves much to be desired, please be sure to leave a way for me to contact you in your comment, or link to a profile or blog with contact information.) Winner must live in the United States.
I was invited to the J.R. Watkins store and sent home with several products. All opinions are my own.

Project Be Productive: Status Update

Last week I wanted to get this year started on the right food by being productive. I got a LOT done, but felt held up by the things that didn’t get done. Namely my, poor, poor neglected closet.

Get book club book, one way or another. Just as I was about to break down and order the book on my Kindle, The Paris Wife appeared on the hold shelf at the library for me. Now, I have eight days to finish reading it.

Return all of the things. Everything that needed to be mailed was mailed, and some of the in-store returns were made. I’m not sure how I came to have so many things that needed to be returned anyway. I still have a few things to return the next time I make it to the mall, but I just couldn’t squeeze in another errand during preschool time this week.  I’m really looking forward to email confirmations and refunds this week.

Complete a menu plan for next week. Done

Clean out my closet. Not done. Not done at all.

Decide on an accessory organization system. Mostly done. I’m still waiting for a PayPal deposit, and then I can make a final decision. I’m trying to decide between something pretty and something utilitarian, but I’ve narrowed down my options.

Get all of the supplies needed for the baby shower I’m hosting next weekend.   Done. Last week I called this the list of annoying things, but this wasn’t an annoying thing at all. It was a non-optional thing on my list that needed to be done, but I didn’t mean to imply that party-planning for a friend is annoying.

Buy/order gifts for the parties we’re attending this month. Done. Well, except for the birthday party invitation that we got on Friday. Don’t even ask about all of the February birthday parties. For us, January – April is Birthday Season. (Birthday gift shopping is also a non-annoying, fun thing.)

Print pictures for Bub’s student of the week project due next week.  Done! The project is mostly finished with a full day and a half before it needs to be delivered to school. Hooray!

So, this week that closet is MINE.  I also have a few projects on my plate like researching new churches, and looking into possible vacation spots for this summer.  If I’m feeling particularly motivated, I need to get my email in order. I receive entirely too many newsletter emails, most of which arrive overnight, so the first thing I see when I check my email in the morning is clutter.

A friend asked me if I’m on a blog break, and I’m not. Writer’s block is in the house, hence the to-do list. It’s funny that the person that I talk to daily, and who knows every word of what’s written here before it’s written, is the one person to ask why I’m not writing. But! I have a fun giveaway coming tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.

More Answers: Date Night, Dining Out, Vacation, and Play Time

A huge thank you to everyone who chimed in with your answers to my questions. Your answers were highly encouraging to me in that I am so not alone.

1. We have committed to a monthly date night for 2012. Previously we maybe went out maybe 6 times per year, and almost always when we had somewhere to be, not just because. Thank goodness for baseball games, musicals and weddings or our number would be significantly more pathetic than it already is. Babysitting is always a challenge, so this month we’re trying out a babysitting swap with some good friends.

2. We eat out maybe once a month. Part of the reason for that is because we just don’t budget very much for dining out, and part of it is simply because eating out has lost it’s luster. Eating in a restaurant should be fun and easy, and it’s just not. Not right now anyway. This ties in nicely with number three for me…

3. We love to travel.  Last year we took our first major family vacation and went to Hawaii. Prior to that we had taken Bub to Palm Desert for the weekend a few times, where we had access to a friend’s house.  We’re starting to think about a vacation this summer, and whether or not we want to go as a family, or just with us. Like I said, I love to travel, but I just don’t think my kids are at a age where travel is fun. Our families are local, so there’s no need to travel somewhere. Travel requires a lot of eating out, and we already know how I feel about that. In Hawaii we had a full kitchen, so we ate breakfast and lunch in our room nearly every day.

I think we’re torn between feeling like we should be taking family vacations, and what we would really enjoy at this point. I think we’re  both leaning strongly toward going away sans-kids, and maybe taking a smaller vacation with them. We have taken two big kid-free trips (Alaska and New York) and they were amazing. I would repeat each trip moment for moment if it were possible, they were that good.

4. I love that several of you commented that the math on this question was too hard. I get it! Here’s the thing: Bub wants to be entertained. All day long. He wants me to be actively engaged with him at all times. He has an hour of quiet time while the baby naps, and he will entertain himself, and he can be kept occupied with all manner of electronics, but we try to use that sparingly. I’m just trying to find the right balance. This is why preschool is so important for him, because he’s such a social kid. We plan play dates, and go to playgroup activities, and we do a lot of things, but we’re at home a lot of hours during the day. One solution would be to sign him up for an activity, but that wouldn’t really solve the problem, just distract us from it. I  just don’t know what a reasonable breakdown of our time should look like. I don’t think there’s ONE answer, but there has to be a happy medium.

Challenge, extended

It would really make me happy if you could think the title of this post in Ross Gellar’s voice. Thanks.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could retrain my brain toward productivity? I think some people see a to-do list as things to get done. I see a to-do list as a challenge to find as many ways as possible around all of the things that need to get done.

I’m extending a little challenge to myself this week. I’m doing pretty well with my plan to tackle the most annoying thing first, but it’s pretty easy to clap my hands and get back to the business of avoidance once that thing is done. So, here’s a long list of annoying things that need to be done by Friday.

Get book club book, one way or another. Done. As luck would have it, this book was waiting on the hold shelf at the library this morning with my name on it.

Return all of the things. Some need to be mailed, some need to be taken to actual stores. (Partially done, as I picked up mailing supplies today. Note to my future self – keep a small stash of Amazon boxes for this purpose.)

Complete a menu plan for next week. I’ve actually planned out all of this week’s meals already and I feel so FREE. (Could I be more inept at recognizing the obvious?)

Clean out my closet. As we’ve only lived here for six months, this isn’t a major project, but I can turn my closet floor into a war zone with impressive speed. Donate anything I haven’t worn since we’ve lived here.

Decide on an accessory organization system. I won’t be buying anything until there’s money in my PayPal account from a recent project, but I need to have a plan in place that’s better than the giant pile of scarves and tangled necklaces that I’ve got going on right now.

Get all of the supplies needed for the baby shower I’m hosting next weekend. I’m mostly just the location, and my part in the planning is pretty minimal, but I do need to complete a few crafty projects, and it would be nice to do so without rushing.

Buy/order gifts for the parties we’re attending this month. Bonus points for wrapping them before the day of the party.

Print pictures for Bub’s student of the week project due next week.

I’ll be back on Friday with an update. Wish me luck! Until then, I’m loving your comments on my newest Questions post. Keep ‘em coming!

More Questions

First, if you didn't win my Pay it Forward  giveaway - and unless you're Saly, you did not - Saly is paying forward her win and hosting a giveaway of her own.

Now to my questions:

1. How often do you and your significant other go on an actual date? Yes, I count a trip to get ice cream and walk the aisles at Target as a date, provided that your children are not with you. I want to hear from the childless, too.

2. If you have children, how often do you eat in a sit-down restaurant? For this case, I mean someplace with waiters, level of fanciness is irrelevant.

3. Do you like to travel? If you have children, do you prefer to travel with your children (ages, please) or without?

4. If you have children, what percentage of your day do you spend actively engaged with/entertaining them?

Happy Monday! I'll be back with my answers on Tuesday.

Re-Entry

It wasn’t until we were walking out the door this morning that I realized that I had forgotten to pack a lunch for Bub.

“Don’t MOVE,” I commanded both children, because man can they scatter. Off they went in different directions, of course.

After two weeks with a disrupted schedule I’m scattered, and yet I feel the compulsion to write. I need to say something, so I can get to the business of saying something else.

I need to stop pretending like I can get through the day without making a list of the things I need to get done. Maybe that’s a sign of something bigger, that I’m leading a life full of distractions, and I am, but for now I’ll start with a list.

I’m not making resolutions this year, not officially anyway. I am taking this opportunity to remind myself of certain goals, (be more present, read often, make a commitment to being healthy, take a lot of pictures, work towards organization.)

I would like 2012 to be the year that I live by this principle: Everyday, do the most annoying thing on my list first. This is a lesson learned from my father, and it’s a relatively easy path to productivity. What is it that I’m going to spend all day avoiding? Get that one thing out of the way, right away. Make the uncomfortable phone call, go to the dry cleaners – even if taking two children means two trips to the car, schedule the dog’s grooming appointment, and ask for a time that’s convenient for me, instead of the first option they offer.

This isn’t my natural state. My natural state is procrastination and last-minute productivity. My natural state isn’t necessarily my happiest state, though, and that seems like something worth doing the annoying things for.

I do believe a new tradition has been born

I’m not a big fan of huge New Year’s Eve plans. It’s not because I’m too cool for them, it’s just that I’m not a huge party kind of girl on any night of the year. But having a few friends over? That’s a perfect night for me. New Year’s Eve is a challenge though, as no one wants to be driving because everyone on the road has been drinking, and it’s tough to convince a babysitter to give up their New Year’s Eve in favor of yours.

This year though, we changed things up. We had friends over on January 1st for Fake New Year’s Eve. We played games, drank champagne, and my kids slept through it all.

January 1st 2013? It’s a date.

Editor’s note: I originally wrote 2012, but is IS 2012. The future is now, you guys.