Category: Uncategorized (Page 60 of 118)

This week has been really busy here at Superpaige’s pad. My concert was Friday night, so that meant extra rehearsals this week. The girls also had their band concert and dance recital this week. So on Wednesday night, I told Ryan that Natalie wanted her hair curled for the next day, and would he please put it up in sponge curlers? I showed him how to do it, and figured he could do at least an average job.

When I came home late that night and asked him how things had gone, he said that things were fine, and that Natalie’s hair got curled, but he didn’t do it. What? How did it get curled? And he showed me this picture.

“She owed me a favor, anyway, since I fixed her computer,” he said. I guess he had tried to do the curlers, but said it pretty much looked crappy, so he called for back up.

What a great neighbor to come over and curl my daughter’s hair. I love living here with great neighbors like this, who will drop what they are doing to come and help out a friend. And I’m sure she would have done it even if Ryan hadn’t fixed her computer.

I may have mentioned that my husband has been on a shaving strike since roughly….October. We went on vacation to Disneyland and he decided not to shave anymore. It’s been growing longer and more scruffy until he finally looked like this.
On Sunday I think the scratchiness was finally getting to him. Either that or my endless complaining and refusing to kiss him might have had something to do with it. So, he shaved. But thankfully, he documented the whole process. First he was Mr. Scruffy there, then he went to this. . Next we had sad Mr. Stash. Then he did a regular moustache and we thought he looked like his brother, Kyle.
Do you see the resemblance?
And he finally ended up looking like the Ryan we remember from way back when. I’m happy to have him back.

A few years ago, I volunteered to “play Santa” for Ryan’s work Christmas party.  They had Santa come, and gave a personalized gift to each child who attended.  To prepare, they asked the employees to suggest a toy or let them know an interest of each child.  There was a $10 budget for each gift.  I LOVED doing this.  I shopped sales, did price matching, one day sales, etc.  And this wasn’t online shopping, either (the shipping would have eaten up my budget), it was shopping in an actual store.  John was a baby, and sometimes I took him and Jenna with me while the others were at school.  Sometimes I had a babysitter.

Some of the gifts I remember were bionicles (they had a buy one get one free deal, so I stocked up on those for little boy’s gifts), furreal pets, the Dogz, Barbies,  and model cars.  The older kids were harder to shop for, especially when there was nothing listed as interests, so they got jewelry boxes, CD’s or even a gift card or two to Barnes and Noble (Cole’s favorite gift that year, I think).  I had so much fun shopping for other people’s kids with other people’s money.  I think I even told someone that I should be a “Christmas shopper” and do people’s shopping for them.

How much has changed in a few short years.  Black Friday shopping?  No thanks.  Shop for other people who I don’t even KNOW?  I don’t think so.  Shop for needless toys for my kids that will just get broken or be the cause of fighting on Christmas day?  Count me out.

What has happened to me?  I used to LOVE the thrill of Christmas shopping!  Finding that perfect gift was a thrill for me.  I still want to find the perfect gift, but I’d like to find it at 50% off with free shipping and have the nice men in brown deliver it for me.

I guess my life has gotten busier in the last three years.  Yes, being in the bell choir and having almost every night in December be busy with rehearsals or concerts does take away that urge to shop.  Having kids who are also involved in choirs and bands and dance and therefore fill up every remaining available night with their concerts, recitals and rehearsals also takes the thrill out of going out there and fighting the crowds.

I’m not worried.  I’m sure I’ll get my “shop back”.  Sometime.  But for now, I’m relieved that my presents are all bought. Really.  All bought.  And it’s not even December 1st.  Yay for me!  I’m sure I’ll find a few more last minute things and remember something that I have forgotten, but for the most part I’ve got the shopping done.   I’ve gotten a few things on line, and picked up a bunch of stuff early.  Not wrapped, yet, unfortunately.  I’ll work on that soon, but since I don’t yet have the tree up there would be nowhere to put those presents…yet.  I’m going to work on that today.

But I’m happy that since Thanksgiving was so early this year, we have one more week to get ready for Christmas.  To do all those fun things we want to do to enjoy the season.  And getting the gifts done and out of the way early just frees me up to not have to worry about those details.

How about you?  Are you a shopper?

I’m not one to actively watch an entire football game, even one as exciting and important as this one, but the score IS important to me.  So, to watch our Cougars pull off a nice win like this one was quite exciting at our house.   It was pretty quiet here in the neighborhood because about half of the neighbors (and the kids’ friends) were AT the game, so there was no hollering in the street.  But just now I did see the pack of little neighborhood boys with their BYU shirts on walking around the circle proudly waving the BYU flag.

17-10.  Oh yes, Take that Ute fans.

It’s 9:15 am and already we’re on our third pull-up and second tantrum of the day.

I’ve spent $89 online.

And I’ve had one piece of pumpkin pie.

And I’m still in my pajamas.

And while I was looking at ebay auctions of certain game consoles that start with a W and end with two i’s, one of my nosy children walks in and before I can click minimize, she’s off telling the other children, “Mom’s looking at a Wii online!!!!”

Oh, the joys.

When we came downstairs this morning, we found an unwelcome sight. “What’s wrong with Zuzu?” Natalie asked. I went to go and look in the bird cage, and sure enough, our little Zuzu was laying down on the bottom of the cage. Birds don’t just lie down, so we knew something was wrong. She was dead. Now, we’ve kind of been expecting old Sundance to die first, since he’s really old in bird years (he’s older than my oldest child, so he’s got to be at least 14!), but weren’t prepared at all for the death of Zuzu.
The kids were all crying, and we put her in a shoe box. (And by ‘we’, I mean Ryan, as I didn’t really want to be touching any dead things.) They were able to say goodbye to her, and we’ll have a little funeral and burial after school today. They were writing little notes and drawing pictures to put in her box with her.

This is the first death we’ve had in our family, other than that silly goldfish that lasted about 3 days–we didn’t even have time to get attached to it. It’s a good thing for the kids to know that everyone eventually dies, but it’s a harsh truth. They are going to have a very sad day.

So, rest in peace, Zuzu. We will miss you.

John’s not feeling well today, and sadly that means we’re watching a lot of movies and tv.  Just on was Sesame Street.  I haven’t watched Sesame Street in some time, and I really should watch more often.  It’s so GREAT!  Aside from that annoying “Elmo’s world” section, it’s a hoot.  Today they had a wonderful parody of “Dancing with the Stars”, as they were “Dancing with a Triangle.”  Yes, I was laughing.  Then James Blunt did a wonderful song of “My Triangle”.  It was beautiful.

You can see it here, if you are a James Blunt fan. And for more Sesame Street news, I went here and learned about a new show, “A’s anatomy.”  I can’t wait to see that one!

“A’s Anatomy” – a parody of the hit TV show, “Grey’s Anatomy”

When a broken letter “A” rushes into the Alphabet Memorial Hospital with an emergency, Dr. Grover must lead his medical students to put it back together again. But when something appears to be amiss, a little antiseptic, an anatomy lesson, and even some adhesive tape assist these alphabet specialists.

Oh, those Sesame Street writers!  They’ve has us laughing for over 30 years, and they aren’t going to stop now.  You also might want to tune in to see

“RSI: Rhyme Scene Investigation” – a parody of the TV show, “CSI”

In a city of a million rhymes, Detectives Joe Doe and June Moon investigate words that rhyme with “at” including hat, cat, bat, and splat. As the rhymes line up, it becomes obvious they’ll need to do a bit more digging before they solve the case down pat.

Or:
“Meal or No Meal”

How much fun is that?

Have you heard the latest “Arnold impersonator” radio commercial for Gold’s Gym?  I know I’ve mentioned before how much these commercials crack me up.  The one about pioneer day still makes me chuckle when I think about it.  I think that’s the sign of a good commercial–when people can still remember it days or weeks later.  Not that I’m rushing out to join Gold’s Gym or anything, I’m just amused by their commercials.  Ryan doesn’t think they are nearly as funny as I do, so it must be tailored specifically to my sense of humor.  So whoever those writers are, I’d probably get along really well with them, don’t you think?  Here’s the latest one, set to the tune of 100 years by Five for Fighting.
I’m 15 dollars for a moment.

Caught in between 10 and 20

Wishing that I could be spent at Gold’s Gym.

(talk talk talk about Gold’s Gym) then

15 dollars yes, it’s true.

15 dollars a month, and you.

For 15 dollars;–Not too long like me you will be strong.

You’ll be working out at Gold’s Gym in a thong.

Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, that’s the kind of thing that makes me laugh.  What commercials have really made you laugh lately?

Yes, he’s creative, but he’s just a little crazy. He’s a good kid, and even as a teenager, I love my Cole.