My, how the fruit flies (?)

Yeah. I HATE fruit flies... Don't be fooled. They make look all tiny and harmless, but they actually look like this...



Pretty nasty, huh?

So, since we all of a sudden have a surprise infestation, and have no idea why, I have had to do a bunch of googling to figure out how to get rid of them.

Apparently, they like old peach yogurt mixed with balsamic vinegar. Now you know.

They all seem to be climbing in this lovely contraption that is gracing my kitchen, and then they don't come out!



Mmmmmm. Makes you hungry, huh?


_____update______


Okay, after much obsessive googling, I found images of better traps. Makes sense. Now these guys are really gonna get stuck.

Leggo my Legos!

Brody has been showing quite an interest lately in building stuff with Legos. Sure enough, we bought him this starter kit, and he immediately began building stuff following the directions. He was SO PROUD of himself.

I remember playing with Legos as a kid, but I always built houses for my Barbies, or pools for them to have pool parties. Brody makes destructive things, like battleships and such. Boys are silly.

And, yay, now we have a million tiny sharp blocks in our house. Fun, huh? :)



(and apparently, my kids have an aversion to shirts too. If I could only get them to wear shirts AND shorts at the same time. That will be a good day.)

Just the Regular Work Hazards

This was going on right by my desk. While I was trying to work. Anybody else scared for their lives while they work? (I mean OTHER than the Alaskan Crab Fisher Guys)

(and yes, my kids do have an aversion to pants.)

On the Runway for the First Time in the History of Mankind

It is somewhat liberating when your children start dressing themselves. Although, they still have quite a lot to learn about the fashion rules.

Brody Akers new summer line of clothing says "phooey to all the old rules. This season, the sky is the limit, anything goes. "

Here, he is sporting a plaid pair of shorts, a tie died tee with a Hawaiian floral over-shirt.

Nothing says confidence like mixing and matching your patterns and colors.

So, be bold this season, break a few rules, and dress like a kid, like none of it really matters (because, really, it doesn't!)

Brody raised the bar!

We are so excited! Brody has "graduated" up in gymnastics from the toddler/little kid class and has moved down to the big gym where he has his class with all boys. He is one of the youngest, but seems to be one of the most focused and agile.

He LOVES being down there, and today, he even used chalk on his hands for the first time and did his first flip on the bar unassisted!

YAY!

Finally, to the Pool!

We finally had a break from the rain, and went up to play at the pool for the first time this season. We were so glad to run into Brody's little friend from school and her mom. We thoroughly enjoyed the day!

My Little Graduate

I am still not 100% on board with preschool graduation photos, but once you see the photo of your own kid, it doesn't seem quite as cheesy. :)

Here is Brody, all graduated from preschool and ready for Kindergarten!



It is crazy to think that in 13 years, he will be wearing a high school grad gown. :)

The 5 year old brain....

Kids amaze me. I am sitting here working and the kids are playing upstairs...

Brody comes down and we had the following conversation:



Mommy, Do we have any gingerbread men left?

What gingerbread men?

The ones we made.

Gingerbread men? When did we make gingerbread men?

When we made them. Before.

Do you mean when we made gingerbread cookies for Christmas?

Yes. Those cookies. Do we have any more of those?

No, sweetie. We ate those 6 months ago.

Awwww man. Seth! You ate all the gingerbread cookies!

No, Brody. We all ate them. Six months ago. You ate them too. We can make some more 6 months from now, okay?

Okay! Great! Good idea!



crazy.


Here is the blog post I made when we ACTUALLY made the cookies.

My Old Friend, The FlyLady

Maybe you know of her, maybe you don't, but I have an old friend named the FlyLady. We used to be real close, but then we drifted apart, until I rarely ever thought of her. It got to the point where I was living in what theFlyLady calls CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)!

Well, we are getting reacquainted again and I am SO HAPPY! See, just look at that shine!



For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, The FlyLady is a clutter-free lifestyle. She is a wonderful woman who wrote a wonderful book, has a wonderful website, and leads you to a clean, homey, un-cluttered life.

It all starts with cleaning your kitchen sink, and by cleaning, I mean take about 45 minutes to clean your sink. I did mine tonight, and then, since your sink is so clean, you just HAVE to clean the rest of your countertops because otherwise your sink just looks odd. THEN, since it is so pristeen, you just can't imagine leaving a dirty dish in it... and so it begins!

I am going to start tomorrow on my timed throw out/donate sessions AND getting dressed in the morning, including shoes!

If you need some order restored in your life, I highly suggest reading her book... Sink Reflections and checking out her Flylady.net website

Happy de-cluttering!

:)

Like Father, Like Sons

As I was getting breakfast ready for the kiddos, I heard them practicing their drumming... Daddy has quite an influence on these kids!

Flap & Snap

So, some friends of ours had a crazy photo on their facebook page... and there was a description of what they were doing to get such a wacked out photo...

this is what you do...

1. relax your face
2. flap your face side to side
3. have someone else snap a photo of you while you are flapping
4. look at the pictures and laugh hysterically

Kurt must have a more pliable face than me, or he is just able to relax more than I am ... Here are our Flap&Snaps! And beware... this can give you a serious headache.








PS... every time we look at these, we about pee ourselves.

Home Run!

I think this must be every daddy's dream when he finds out he is going to have a son. :)

Playing IN the pool

What, this isn't how you play in a pool?

When I looked out the window to see what the kids were up to, this is what I saw...

It's Pretzel Man!

If there was a way to make great money at being a contortionist, I would encourage this. Otherwise, it is just crazy! It makes MY knees hurt to see it!

The Shiner

Boys will be boys, huh? This is Seth's first real shiner! :) (and just ignore the yellow marker all over his head. He was in a creative mood.

Taking a Moment

Five years ago, for Kurt's first father's day, I gave him a hammock. Every now and then we get it out and enjoy it.

I relaxed in the hammock for a while last night, reading my book, drinking a Corona... and when I got out, Kurt slipped right in after me.

There is nothing like a warm spring evening and a hammock! Happy Father's Day, sweetie! ;)

Can I Get a Woot Woot!?

I did it! I got my folding wheeling grocery bag, and I walked to the grocery store for the first time tonight! I feel so good about myself! I have become so sedentary with my job at the computer and taking the kids everywhere in the car... I am hoping to change that with my grocery trips (at least some of them)!

The funny thing is... I thought it would take me MUCH longer to go shopping if I walked. I got there (.75 miles) in a little less than 15 minutes. Granted, driving would have taken me about 3 minutes, but considering I got a work-out in there at the same time, it was a lot quicker than I thought it would be!

I wonder what adding a half hour walk will do for me? I can't wait to find out! :)

By the way, my grocery bag is totally awesome. I am posting the link here in case anyone else wants to get up and moving!

The Mom Song

And here is another song we should teach our kids... LOL

the Mom Song

All you Dear Mommies...

This is a song that Kurt downloaded for me today... and thought all you mommies should hear it too. This is the acoustic version. If you like it, you should download the studio version... it is so wonderful...

Happy Mothers Day!

One Heartbeat at a Time by Steven Curtis Chapman

Just Whackin' Bugs

Our great friends Mark and Jen gave Kurt a FANTASTIC present for his birthday... is it a bug zapper in the shape of a tennis racket. Until you have felt the bug obliterating power, you really can't understand just how addicting it is to just "go outside and whack some bugs". Here are some photos of Kurt and I enjoying this wonderful gift... Thanks so so so much, Mark and Jen. You have GOT to get one of these things!

Get Moving!

I live about .75 miles from a Food Lion. When I need something from the store, I pile the kids in the car and drive there! It really is sad when I think about it. The suburban culture is so car-centered, that when discuss items that we "need" to survive, the car is at the top of the list below shelter, clothing, food, and water.

Well, I have decided to try and do something about my sedentary lifestyle. I ordered a folding shopping cart. It folds up to a purse size package which I can take with me when I walk to the store. Then, I can get the items I need for a couple of days, and then wheel the cart home.

I hope to walk to the store about 3-4 times a week to get moving more. I will keep you posted! I hope the kids are okay with this change! :)

Dancing with the Star Wars

This is such a trip.

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Since Kurt's birthday is March 1st, and it is always cold and rainy (or snowy, this year)... we decided to have a group over to celebrate his birthday a couple of months later this year. He had his first birthday party, an outdoor cookout and deck gathering! :)

Happy Birthday, sweetie! We had a great time celebrating how old you are! :)

Tattoo Artist in the Making

Brody does a mean General Grievous (from Clone Wars) tattoo if anyone wants one!

the long and short of it

So, after having long hair for a while now, I decided this morning to jump on the short hair bandwagon... and 6 inches later, here I am! I am so happy with it! I thought I would be sad and miss the long hair, but it was always back in a clip or ponytail anyway!



Yay!!! Sorry, Kurt! You'll get used to it! :o)

The Sun Fun Has Begun

Yep... our high class plastic pool has made it's debut, not to mention the totally cool sprinkler thingy that is fun and safe! :) Instant babysitters!


Here is Seth squirting Brody with the sprinkler hose thingy...




and here is Brody getting him back in the pool...




Ahhhh.... brothers.

pillows off again

seriously. check the time stamp.

*sigh*

i'm. gonna. leave. the. pillows. on. the. floor.

my hidden camera theory

I theorize....

that if someone secretly video recorded a week of mine, and then a focus group watched it back in fast forward... they would all agree that the poor woman on the video should have lost her mind by now! :)

I just walked by the living room and put the pillows back on the couch for the 8th time today. seriously. no lie. You think I would just get the point and take the pillows away... but then how would I fill my time? :)