June Cleaver Nirvana

I would contribute the left overs from Monday's potluck, but there aren't any. The Herb Sliders were easy and amazing. Blog-Stedman ended up doing the ACTUAL cooking which is probably why they were easy and amazing, but I helped...a little. Prep work, people. Prep work.

I do have 1/2 a chicken salad sandwich in the fridge from the fab play date yesterday:I tried to hold back from saying the following, but I can't help it...AREN'T THEY JUST THE CUTEST? I want to thank Anglophile Football Fanatic for not running in terror when I showed up in this outfit: We had a really good time while the boy's played contently in the Pottery Barn Kids store PINK kitchen.

I also have 1/3rd of a cinnamon bagel pretzel from "The Other Boleyn Girl". It has been years since I have gone to a movie. Way back then they didn't serve $4.25 pretzels and tickets were not $9. The down side was you had to walk uphill through snow without shoes both ways. My movie review (this is shocking and unexpected): the book is better then the movie.

I was tagged by R World for the book meme: grab the book nearest to your left elbow, open to page 123, and then copy the sixth, seventh, and eighth sentences. My book is "Microtrends" by Mark Penn (I am a very complex, don't judge me). And this is the magical quote from the chapter "Late breaking Gays":

"Can he say he loves me--and in fact never desire another woman--and yet still leave me for a greater passion when we're 45? How do I turn on the Gaydar now, and here, while we're still dating? Perhaps the dating Web sites, and prenuptial counseling services, will want to add a couple of questions about sexual preference."

Tag, you are it: Pinky, Domestic Accident, Rachel, Jessica and Lupitasloves. Just curious what you are reading these days...

Please check out the fancy pink box on the right for really funny stuff that I read over the last few days. Oh, and let me clarify Potluck rules. There is no theft...potlucks are welcome in any location as long as I am invited. In fact, if you find yourself needing to throw a potluck....use this by replacing all the ( and ) with < and >:

(a href="http://junecleavernirvana.blogspot.com/")(img border="0" view¤t="nwdesigns3.jpg" = alt="Photobucket" src="http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/5268/potluckht9.jpg"/)(/a)

and you will have this, that when clicked on will send people my way:


The universal potluck is my first step in blogworld domination. If there is interest, I will get one of those fancy link boxes.

Monday is going to be furious when it gets back, but I just can't help myself. I can not come up with any cohesive thoughts with a beginning, middle and end so it's potluck time!I am serving this:It is a goldfish bar. No designated driver needed after this shindig. This idea was born approximately 30 feet from and 10 minutes after this heaven moment when Reid (not pictured there) was grabbing random bags of goldfish and throwing them into the cart while I was trying desperately to find snacks to serve at our impending HS group. It was a chocolate meet peanut butter kinda moment. An added bonus is that it allows for side by side comparison of the crazy new products goldfish is rolling out on a daily basis. Who knew that 'Blazin' Buffalo Wings' would be my favorite?

I had a really good laugh when I read Angie @ KEEP BELIEVING's Signs your kids are watching too much TV yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon my boys were watching TV upstairs while I was down in the kitchen. Ryan(6) came running downstairs as fast as he could yelling, "I need paper! I need paper!" I pointed in the direction of their art paper and he grabbed one and ran upstairs. I didn't think twice until this was delivered a few minutes later:
This, dear reader is the 800# and price for pancake puffs. Which my boys believe we cannot live another day without. This child hypnotising commercial runs on their website. I have an idea. Why don't we get the pancake puff people to make commercials for the following: potty training, picking up your clothes, making your bed, good manners and listening to mommy. They seem to have the key to the kid's attention.

I took the minivan in for a smashed snack food and juice box detox car wash and walked into the adjacent coffee shop to catch up on my googlereader. At the table next to me were 2 guys doing a job interview. I overheard the older one tell the coffee employee he was from the bike store. After pleasantries, the interviewer asked, "Do you ride a bike?"...silence...crickets..."uh, uh...no." I am no Human Resource genius, but I think that interview was over.

I apologize that this is long overdue, but awhile ago Courtney @ Life with 2 Beautiful Girls sent over this sweet award:Thanks so much! Courtney, I still owe you a meme, but as previously stated, my brain isn't exactly cohesive today. The award will look stunning next to this one from Rachel at Always Wanted 4:I heart and appreciate you. And since you are really supposed to decorate in odd numbers, let me mention this:Thanks so much to Rachel at The Land of Monkeys and Princesses for the Royal Banana award. I have been secretly coveting it (is that so wrong?) and will display it proudly.

I think American businesses under-utilize the Drive-thru window. I vote with my dollar by daily supporting fast food, dry cleaners, coffee, pharmacy, and library drop box drive thru windows. I think almost ANY business could and should have a drive-thru. I am not just talking restaurants here (although I think they all should have them). I am thinking big: Clothes! Books! Furniture! Gifts! Think of a magical world where you could drive up to Victoria Secret's menu and order a six pack of briefs, 2 miracle bras and a little something for dessert.

Here, take this for the road:

Today I am contributing cherry frosted pop-tarts gently toasted in honor of this historic time and place where Monday potlucks have its own badge. Thanks to the mad skillz of Nap Warden my little potluck looks a lot yummier. Check out her NW Designs for some really cool projects (please don't tell her that her prices are VERY reasonable until she is done with my very long to-do list).

Thanks to Burgh Baby's Mom for this fun valentine. I would like to pass it on to Jodi, M2B, HC, Jen and Fussy in honor of this new site--TODAY.

Last week I was in Williams-Sonoma and overheard this end of a cell phone conversation delivered by a very well dressed, very tall man: "It is just a matter of time until the word gets out and then Wal-Mart is going down". WHAT? You heard it first here... Wal-Mart is going down.

Dear Lunchables,
I don't buy you, but blog-Stedman sometimes does the shopping over which I have no control (deep cleansing breaths) so please take note that when you label every package inside with "Congratulations" you have won my 6 y/o who can read such things goes wild. It then takes 20 minutes to explain to him that a one month subscription to some online gaming site isn't really much of a prize. It is NOT NICE to parents. And what part of Nachos is real food?
Holly

I don't mean to be a complainer, but it is going to be 80 degrees today. Feb. 4? What happened to "in-between" temps?

Disclaimer: Blogger spell check is still not operating so please forgive my inability to spell correctly.

After watching a full day of PBSkids on Friday, I will have to say that pretty much everything on that channel is awful. The more recent crop of children's programming seems to find it necessary to "engage its audience" by asking them questions in the middle of the story. This is what it looks like at my house...
Perky TV animal shouts while looking in the camera "Hey, what is your favorite color?"
In my living room are 3 boys staring but stone silent.
Perky TV animal responds, "Oh! I LOOOOOOVE that color. You are such a good color picker"
In my living room are 3 boys staring but stone silent.
Perky TV animal sings, "Lets all do the rainbow dance! First you move your arms and legs..."
In my living room are 3 boys staring but stone silent.
Perky TV animal stops dancing to state, "Wow! You do the rainbow dance better then anyone I have ever seen! Good job, Friend!"
In my living room are 3 boys staring but stone silent.
ENOUGH. Stop trying to "Interact" with my children AT HOME THROUGH THE TV! Stop trying to "build up their self-esteem" with stupid affirmative statements after they have contributed NOTHING. And above all, TV CHARACTERS ARE NOT FRIENDS!
*Fade to black*

Hey, I know potlucks are usually on Monday, but I am in a potluck mood and I am throwing a potluck because I can. I am just that powerful. I am just that in control. I am a woman on a mission. And I want a potluck.

I am going to contribute coke and peanuts because of her suggestion after reading this. I was further informed by Binky that she had a client who loved this but insisted the best way was out of a coke can. So, I am going to try it during the potluck and give you a report at the end (whoa, there is no way you are going to stop reading now...genius reader retention tactics...yeah, I'll be writing a book soon). Let the potluck special Friday party edition begin...

Dear TLC,
The new morning schedule just isn't working out for me. 5:30 am is too early for Peep, even in my house of early risers. Please re-schedule Peep into any slots between 6:30 and 8. High-5 and Wilbur should be cancelled because they are annoying. Thanks!
Holly

Do you remember those little chewable orange aspirin tablets that we had as children? Those were so yummy and their texture so unique.

I have been the mommy of high maintenance baby, whiny 4 y/o and super-sensitive, over-stimulated 6 y/o this week due to light colds. Wanna trade places?

My home-school group has jokingly suggested accompanying me on my big trip to the doctor for stitch removal today as an educational experience. I know those
girls and they weren't kidding.

Ryan is currently getting drinking straws, cutting small holes in them and laughing when his brothers try to drink and it doesn't work. Ya, he's a regular Dennis the Menace. I am chalking this up to science education.

The coke and peanut verdict: yuck. It is DISTURBING to find peanuts in coke and the taste is gross. Thumbs down. I think it altered my creativity and may be responsible for the poor quality of this post.

Greg, who is now calling himself my blog-Stedman, purchased a plug in vaporizor thing to help with stuffy noses. When he plugged it in last night we found that it also had a blue nightlight which cannot be turned off independently. This is where I go all high-maintenance...a bedroom should be completely dark. No nightlight. No light from electronic devicesssss. No light from security system key pads. No light from the moon coming in through the blackout shades. No light whatsoever! So the vaporizer cast a blue light throughout the room causing dreams that I was sleeping on aisle 3 of K-Mart.

Please note the slide show at the bottom of my blog. It was quite the learning experience for me and quite a lofty achievement from my non-tech brain. I am finding that in order to keep up with my creative side in 2007, I must continue in tech training. People who call my cell phone just realize that they will be likely hung up on at some point in time. I have accepted that I can't run my fancy phone (even with Kelby & White's 219 page "The iPhone Book" which I have carefully studied and I should have posted on my reading list). It is my opinion that this whole computer thing has gotten out of control. I think that originally things were done a certain way because of primitive computers and now that things COULD be easier they are now more complicated because they have to do it the way people are used to doing it PLUS adding a bunch of new features with new ways to control them and together it all doesn't make sense. Give me a break--start from scratch and then give me a call (and I will try not to hang up on you).

I am calling for a class action law suit against the inventor of the snow globe. I have now cleaned up the remains of TWO broken snow globes in the last 15 minutes (yes, you read that correctly). The whole idea is flawed. Who thought it would be a good idea to place water and glitter inside a very flimsy and slick piece of spherical glass, put the musicbox winder under the base and then encourage shaking? Kids cannot keep their hands off these things and obviously mine don't have the coordination to handle it. You will be able to see the residual glitter stuck permanently into my distressed wood floors for years to come. The good news is that there are only 2 more snow globes to go...

I want to publicly announce that my yoga teacher is trying to kill me--just in case anything happens...I started yoga about 4 years ago for the childcare at the gym. I chose yoga because I don't like to sweat (OK, that is 2 of my high-maintenance tendencies in one blog which seems a bit much for one morning...). I continued it because I always feel better when I leave then when I came in. I like the fun and chatty yoga classes, not the militant zen ones. Unfortunately for me, the further you get into yoga the harder it becomes. And the whole sweating thing...I am now going to hot yoga (not the crazy Bikram kind) but it is hot and well you can fill in the rest.

Last night was good TV night. We watched The Amazing Race--my team is still in it, but last at this point and blog-Stedman's was eliminated last night which was awesome for me, but undeserved for them. I then had this week's Project Runway on RePlay and watched that as well. I still don't have a favorite on that show, but would wear the top two designs last night in a minute (WHOA...high-maintenance tendency #3...I better just stop here).

Greg worked all day yesterday to install a new tv in our bedroom. Luckily, his dad was available to help lift it up to hang it on the wall. IT IS HUGE! I totally OK'd it and know I will eventually love it....but right now I feel like we are sleeping in a drive-in theater (on the front row, just behind the play equipment!) Please insert your own bigger is better joke here...

OK, OK, I know it is a TV show, but it is our favorite. Greg and I pick teams each season--it is my turn to pick first so here it is--TK and Rachel. We usually do pretty well with our picks so I hope this isn't the first year of my team being eliminated first. I am still bitter about the year that I chose Rob and Amber. OK, OK, I know! I need to get the kids to bed so we can watch it in peace...