currently... the weekend called, it wants its awesome back

The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Kale & Beans.

This week's themes: 

wondering, running, winning, calling, finishing

Recently I have been Wondering what I can get away with tossing out of my house. It's post holidays, post Otto's birthday, and it just feels so so so so overflowing with stuff around here. And I won't even pretend I have a yard sale in me. But I do feel a massive donation party brewing inside of me (a party that involves one woman, sweatpants, and many cups of coffee). Neglected toys, things in the cupboards, closets, nooks, and crannies just need a good old fashioned purge!

Loretta has been Running around like a rabies caveman© giving us all an earful of grunted yells, yelled grunts, and general contempt because dudes, we cramp the eff out of her cavey style... some of the time. And then the rest of the time she's the sweetest, funniest, funnest little peanut. So yeah, girlfriend be loco. I'm tired. The end.

Otto is hoping that this weekend he'll be Winning something (none of us has any idea what) at his first taekwondo tournament on Saturday. I think for his age group they'll just walk them through some moves and then we can stick around and watch the older contenders spar or something. Ok, I have no idea what I'm talking about. Maybe it will be like Karate Kid and the evil taekwondo school from across town will show up and things will get really dramatic. You never know.

This weekend is Calling and it's all like, "You and Rob have a date on Friday night. Wassup?" And I'm all like, "That's so awesome." Seriously though, it's so awesome. Italian food and a brewery - home by 10. We know how to do.

Slowly but surely I am Finishing off Otto's Michael Jackson birthday cake. We have a local bakery (Sweet Life) that makes just stupid good cakes and so I froze all the leftover birthday cake and every night that I don't pass out during the kids' bedtime I head downstairs, grab a plate of frozen cake, eat it, then go upstairs and read for four minutes before passing out. As previously mentioned, I know how to do.

Next week's theme's:
smelling, drinking, wearing, making, loving 

currently / you give me fever / link up

The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Kale & Beans.

This week's themes: 

starting, looking, listening, snapping, making

This week was supposed to be Starting our little clan off on the path back to boring, wonderful Dullsville. After the holidays and Otto's birthday party last weekend, this was going to be the beginning of a lull. A return to blessed routine. Instead, the kids got sick one after the other, and so, of course, life adjusted. The nice part was getting to spend mommy-and-me days with each of my amazing kiddos. Otto on Tuesday. Loretta yesterday. But I am ready for non-sicky babes. So if Loretta's little fever and cough would just see itself out the door...

Yesterday, I found myself Looking forward to future lady days with my Loretta. We spent a little time painting out toes. We did a bad job. They look so terrible but who cares. And we also spent a little time on the kitchen floor, chit-chatting and eating chips and tzatziki. I just thought, "Oh, we're doing girlfriend things!"

Otto has been Listening to a new addition to his CD "collection" (he now has 3) a gift from his birthday party. It's Jackson Five greatest hits. Well, except really just song #2 (ABC123) on repeat. He likes to listen to a song again and again and again until he's got it DOWN. Then, out comes the mic and it's a singalong. So that's our song of the week. I wonder if he'll be in a band eventually, I mean he's got the hair for it... or maybe a solo artist. His dad plays quite a few instruments. I would have, but kind of had that nipped in the bud in elementary school when I wanted to learn a different instrument every year. I kind of know how to play piano, kind of violin, kind of clarinet. I think I could have been more musical but I was too curious and my parents insisted on focus or nothing. I get it now, but as a kid I chose poorly and dropped out. So I'm becoming that classic parent who lives vicariously through their kid, but seriously am enjoying Otto's love of song and dance. I always wanted dance classes too. Ha. I swear it's HIS interest! I'm just enjoying the crud out of it.

So we're all Snapping our fingers to the J5 and waiting for the germs to clear.

And Making plans. Winter always inspires plans for Spring and Summer. This will be our last full summer in Oregon so I'm planning more visits to the coast, some hikes, camping maybe, but maybe not. I'm pretty sure our camping gear is long ruined so investing in camping gear sounds distinctly un-fun. But definitely a few trips to Portland. Hopefully one next month, one in March, one in April. We'd like to get down to Disney this Spring or Summer, if we can swing it. I'm still putting together the pieces of my small business which is set to launch (on a very small scale) next month. I'm planning a garden. If planning is enough to get my sad winter blues-y butt through the next few weeks then woohoo. Cuz dudes, we're about to enter February, a lightless Ray Bradbury of a month I have a hard time surviving in the PNW. So focusing on planning...

Next week's theme's:
wondering, running, winning, calling, finishing 

Sick Days

As an adult, it's kind of funny how weird I've become about taking sick days. I hate hate hate to take them. Hate mixed with fear. I have too much going on to be sick. Being sick ruins the momentum I've built up around work, family, home, kid lessons, and other stuff like volunteering on a board and pretending I write regularly on this blog. If I stop "swimming" I might die. Like a shark. This is a shark fact I think I know. I dope up (on Dayquil, cough syrup, headache medicine, coke zero, plus always honey and cinnamon because duh, I'm "earthy") and pretend I'm fine until I'm fine.

But as a parent, when the kids are taken down, there is no choice. This is going to be day two of staying home with a sick kid. Otto was yesterday with a little fever, a little throw up, some glassy eyes. He rallied by afternoon and I was like, "Praise ye gods my health-robot golden child has beaten another flu season!" Then Loretta got sent home from preschool with a fever, glassy eyes.... Effff. Emmmm. Ellllll.

When Otto's sick he looks at you with puppy dog eyes and asks, please, for crackers and Disney Infinity. When Loretta's sick you ask her if she wants crackers and she scream growls, "NO MY NO WANT CRACKERRRRRS!" And when you stroke her forehead and whisper, "Ok, no crackers," she screams, "WANT MY CRACKERS NOW!"

In other words, I am in for it today. We all held our breath thinking she'd sleep it off like Otto and his 4-hour illness. But no.

And so I find myself about to take my second sick day in a row. And I'm like panicking. About work. About momentum. About existential shit which, why am I doing that? This day, in the great scheme of things, will be made up for. Loretta and I will get a one-on-one day, and it will be special. Just like yesterday with Otto was pretty great. We played board games and watched way too much tv. Loretta and I can do the same. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, here we come.

currently / sans mascara / link up

The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Kale & Beans.

This week's themes: 

showing, working, testing, cooking, dreaming

This week I have been Showing cheese and Trader Joe's knockoff Funions who's boss. It's so me. I'm the freaking BOSS OF CHEESE. I've dominated so much cheese lately it's like, cheese must feel so so so so lame. Fake funions? Oh, they're crying in a corner.

Loretta's a little tardy to the Frozen party but she is Working on catching up with Winter 2013. We are all "Let it Go" all the time these days. My favorite is the little Stevie Wonder groove thing she gets on during the opening bars. Also, all of it. And who am I kidding. That song is really fun to sing in the car, over and over and over and over and over.

The only (kind of not that interesting) thing I can think of that I've been Testing lately is showing my face at work without mascara. This is one of my lifelong goals, to become so confident and "cool" (or whatever) that I can be one of these women who goes nearly makeup-less while still looking totally put together. Like Francis McDormand or Julia Roberts seem to be able to pull off. I got some actual fancy base and concealer over the weekend and it turns out this was a huge step in the right direction. My skin had been just falling apart (papery, dry patches, oily patches, you name it) and I realized my lifelong habit of buying cheapish makeup, sleeping in it many nights, and never doing any kind of skincare besides a quarterly seaweed mask was pretty much failing my 35+ year old skin. So new makeup, a really great moisturizing mask I'm trying to do a couple nights a week, nightly moisturizer. These are the new things and I went to work without mascara on Tuesday and I felt totally great in my face. So that's awesome.

What is this Cooking you speak of? Time to get back on the meal plan train.

Otto is Dreaming of his Michael Jackson birthday party which is Sunday. This is a kid who appreciates all the finer nuances of his friends' parties and considers his birthday party THE event of the year. So... I mean it's gonna be fantastic. MJ cake. MJ mix tape pumping on the speakers at the kids gym. Little sparkly mini-fedora party hats for the kids. What's not to dream about?

Next week's theme's:
starting, looking, listening, snapping, making 

currently / 17 years & 6 years / link up

The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Kale & Beans (formerly Harvesting Kale).

This week's themes: 

resolving, planning, cleaning, leaving, thinking

What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been. New Year's is extra milestone-y for us with Otto being a New Year's baby (and just like that, he's 6 - wow) and our wedding anniversary just a couple of days later (17 years - so lucky to have married my best friend). It's impossible not to reflect on all that time passed, all the changes that have taken place...

...so I am Resolving to make the most of my time this year. I need to un-tangle myself from commitments that aren't fulfilling me anymore and focus all the energy I can muster on the people and projects that I know will be so important to where I'd like to get in life. To being brave, confident, free, accomplished, wise,  

We're currently Planning Otto's Michael Jackson themed birthday party. After that, I think the holidays will officially settle down and then we will be planning a date night. We really need one and it turns out they don't just fall into our lap. So planning. 

Post-holiday Cleaning is so therapeutic. I'm looking forward to getting a lot done this weekend. All the things are invited out of my house!

Otto and Loretta were so sad to be Leaving our Arizona family at the end of our trip. They've become closer and closer with their cousins, grandparents, aunts & uncles, and great-grandparents. There were even moments when the kids entertained themselves this trip. What a joy for them and us. I think we'll be trying to do a summer get-together in California again this year and I already can't wait.

I am Thinking 2015 will be a keeper. Happy New Year's, friends! 

Next week's theme's:
showing, working, testing, cooking, dreaming