10 for Tuesday 6.18.08

1. Happy Birthday to Reed! Yes, sad but true. All of our birthdays fall within a 2 week period, and the birthdays are now over. Reed didn't have a terribly eventful day, but hopefully he enjoyed some of the gifts he got, and the monster cookies we ate for dessert. He certainly enjoyed whopping me at Parchesi.

2. Speaking of Reed. . . Happy Father's Day! We are so lucky to have him in our family. He loves to play games and sports with the kids. He likes to take them along on errands and visits. He likes to read and sing to them at bed time. He is patient with them, and is willing to take a turn with them at night when I've had enough of the kids. He's also been helping out a lot in the morning so I can go out and exercise. Reed is a great dad, and we love him.

3. After months of begging, I finally gave in to Michael and splurged in these fresh blueberries at Costco. They were delicious!

4. I made this little lovey blanket for my friend who is having a baby soon. I thought it turned out cute. This project did not involve a tear-filled phone call to my mom, nor did it involve me throwing a jammed bobbin across the room. My mom would be so proud!

5. Haircuts mean a little bit of trauma at our house. It's such a hassle, and I really should just pay someone to do it, but I'm too darn cheap. This was Blake's first haircut. . . and his first sucker. I had a hard time keeping that wiggly boy still enough to snip his hair. He liked the sucker a whole lot more than the haircut! What a handsome little boy!

6. Michael started swimming lessons this week. He loves it, and Ty is very jealous. I should have signed Ty up for the same class. I think they would have had a lot of fun together. Michael's best friend Ben is in his class. I think their favorite part is when they get permission to splash each other! Because Michael has tubes in his ears he has to wear ear putty and this head band to keep the water out. He's really excited that they had a blue one. . . his favorite color.

7. My friend Sarah Jane told me she was doing preschool lessons with her kids a few times a week, otherwise she'd end up "ignoring her kids all day." Sounds familiar. Anyway I thought it was a fun idea, so I started doing little activities with them. Michael and Ty both love it. Michael actually enjoys practicing his letters and doing art projects. Ty loves to sing songs and play games. Mostly, Ty is just so excited that he has my undivided attention for awhile. This is a lot easier than I thought it would be, and it's been fun to interact with the kids this way.

8. Reed is pretty excited about the new phone he just got from work. He calls it a Blackberry Curve. I call it a wireless leash. Just kidding. Anyway, it's got a lot of fun features including email, photos, and music, so he's going to transfer his audio files and let me use his Ipod! Sweet! Now I just need to learn how to use it. . .

9. I try not to let this blog be a rant page, but sometimes you've just got to get it out, so here goes. . . I HATE WALMART! Why, oh why do I subject myself to shopping there? Every single time I walk into that store I feel myself getting anxious, and I've gotta get out of there fast. And, by the end of the trip I'm usually fuming mad and I swear that I will never set foot in another Walmart for as long as I live. And yet, I find myself returning for some lame reason and the whole cycle starts over again. So why did I go to Walmart this week? I needed to get a new watch battery for Reed. Of course, now they've changed their policy and won't change a battery unless you bought the watch at Walmart. So, while I was at the jewelry counter I decided to buy Reed a cheap watch to wear while he works out. Well, his mom bought him a casual watch too, and I had return mine, so I had to go back for Walmart round 2. It took me over 20 minutes, and 4 employees before I was finally able to make the return. Aaargh! I will spare you the rest of the details, but it did involve reaming out a so-called manager. Something about that place makes my blood boil. I've got to remember that saving a few bucks is NEVER worth shopping at Walmart.

10. On a more positive note. . . my awesome neighbor Jessica just ordered me a recycling bin. We are going to share the pick up service. Reed and I needed more space in our garbage can each week and decided to get a recycling bin instead of an additional garbage can. I am amazed at how much can go into my bin instead of being thrown away, and I feel good about being more "environmentally responsible."