Grandes Pendientes

I have expressed my passion for giant earrings previously on this blog. I am never fully dressed and ready for the day until I am wearing a pair of ridiculously, unnecessarily large earrings. I love them. They bring a little "glam" to my jeans and t-shirt wardrobe.

My mom and I were on the annual birthday shopping trip last week when we ran into an accessory clearance sale. I found a plethora of HUGE earrings and I couldn't help myself.

That night at a "girlfriend dinner celebration", my friends did not hesitate to let me know that my recent purchases pushed the limits-- even for me. As they were mocking me, they noticed that on the wall of the Mexican restaurant was a portrait of a dark haired girl with ridiculously large earrings. They took a picture and every time I look at it, it cracks me up.


I have awesome friends. I value sincerity and humor above most other personality traits-- and so I love having people in my life who can be blunt and honest and make me laugh at myself (and at them in return) until my stomach hurts.

I Love This Kid Part 2

I already wrote about the moment in which I first held Tobin. That kid made me smile so big in that moment and I can honestly say that he has made me smile every single day since.It is impossible for this kid to stay in a bad mood. He gets frustrated with his big sister and seems to be inconsolable with anger or sadness. But all I ever have to do to cheer him up is give him a big bear hug. He never, ever squirms away and he always gets a giant smile on his face.

The funny thing about Tobin at this age (4) is that he is just learning a more grown-up vernacular or vocabulary-- without really comprehending the rationale behind it.

Classic "Tobin" story:
Last week we discovered some kind of horrible odor in the car. I couldn't find the source of the unpleasant aroma and I was wondering aloud where it came from. Tobin, from the back seat, says in all seriousness, "Maybe its the Holy Ghost in my heart." I struggled to control my laughter and explained that while its true that we can' t see the Holy Ghost, he does not smell. Undeterred, Tobin offered, "Maybe he's changing his baby's diaper." He was not trying to be funny or irreverent in the least. (Side note: A sippy cup had over turned in the back of the car... causing the smell).

Other "Tobinisms"-

"When I grow up I am going to be Superman.... but in order to make money for my family, I'll also be a chef." (That's just good sense-- every superhero needs a day job)

When I asked him why babies seem to like him, he said- "um... probably because I look so good.... like my clothes and stuff."

"When I have kids I'll name them Max, Bob the Builder, and Stella. I'm going to marry Stella (the little girl I babysit) and this way I'll have two of them!"Like any 4 year-old, Tobin can be an exasperating troublemaker. But he has an intangible quality that makes it impossible to stay unhappy around him. He is definitely a bright spot in our family.

The Unbearable Lightness of kira

My brother Steven is weird. Hilarious and weird. I told him that I am going to Houston to visit Lance next week and I wanted to drop a few lbs. before then. He decided that we need to make it a competition and naturally, a blog would need to be created to facilitate in the competition.

Here is the blog we started:

http://theotherhungergame.tumblr.com/

Check it out and root us on. The 5 day weight loss sprint is mine-- no question. I excel at short term, crash diet weight loss. The 30 day marathon weight loss event will be more of a challenge. But I like to think I can rise to said challenge.

Wish me luck.

I Love This Kid (Part I)

When Lance and I found out we were expecting our first child, we were very open about the fact that we WANTED A BOY. Just for the first kid. After that, we didn't care whether we had boys or girls. The first HAD to be a boy. We had a bunch of reasons-- most of which I don't really remember because we had Zoie. Of course, like most parents, by the time she was born we were ecstatic about our daughter. And now, I am so grateful that our oldest is a girl. I honestly say that out loud on a weekly basis.

Let me share with you a classic "Zoie". Last week during Vomit Fest 2011 (see previous post), Tobin and I were down with a stomach bug and Zoie and Chase were healthy (so far). My sweet girl took matters into her own hands and took control of the house. She put Chase (who weighs almost as much as her) in his high chair and made dinner-- mini corn dogs. She then found me on my knees in the bathroom and quietly set down a throw-up bowl and a glass of water for me. She later had me lay down while she read a Dr Seuss book to me (moments later, she got sick). Lance and I joke that she will be running the house by the time she's eight.

Zoie is finishing kindergarten this week. Like many a "Slovacek" before her, she is an insatiable reader and also loves to write. I absolutely love to read her papers. Just today she made a book for her kindergarten teacher:

I KNOW YOU WORKT HARD. I CAN TELL. I LIRND ALOT FROM YOU. I WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH! YOU WERE GRAET!

Her teacher told us to let her write without spelling corrections-- in order to build confidence. And I love it. I love this phase where she expresses herself so well and will probably be sad when she has perfect spelling and grammar.

Zoie is super smart and funny and has (more than a little) attitude. I am so grateful to be Zoie's mom and I am looking forward to spending more time with this girl over the summer...

Not for the Faint of Heart

I read a blog earlier this week in which the author said- regarding motherhood, "This stuff ain't for sissies." I liked that take on it and wholeheartedly agreed. If any of you are skeptical on this issue, let me share with you a recent experience.Lance is running an job in Houston, so I have been playing the part of single mother. The fun began when Saturday evening Chase threw up on me during a baptism. Mind you-- Chase is no longer a baby with a little bit of spit-up. It was a very embarrassing moment, but he seemed to be better by the next day.

Monday evening it all fell apart again when, systematically, Tobin, Zoie, and I all get sick. VERY sick-- of the vomit variety. The nausea was unbelievable. I felt as though I could barely move and yet-- at least once an hour between 9 pm and 7 am-- one or both of the kids would come crying into my room.

"Mom-- I threw up again."

"Help, mom. Its coming out my nose!"

"I lost my throw up bowl and its all over my bed!"

We began the practice of the "throw-up bowl" when Zoie was on the top bunk and couldn't realistically get to the toilet when she was sick. It stuck. This means that each and every time one of the kids got sick, I had to clean up the aforementioned throw-up bowl. The highlight of the night was when Tobin got sick all over the pup-tent we put on his bed. The "sick" then dripped down onto his bedding, face, hair and clothes. It was awesome.

Everyone knows just how miserable it is to be sick. And every parent can agree that it is heartbreaking to watch your young child suffer an illness. Its just not supposed to happen at the same time! Its like an unwritten law!

I spent last night cleaning up, playing nurse, running a fever of my own, and vomiting in between loads of laundry. Lance and the kids are my life and I wouldn't trade this job for anything in the world-- but I gotta tell you, "It ain't for sissies."

Hurry back Lance.

Go "Lining!"

I have been a huge fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning since junior high school. My two best friends and I loved going to the games and following the players (and unfortunately, I mean this literally... don't ask).

I was living in Utah in 2004 when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup for the first, and only, time. Since our return to the area, Lance has started watching the games with me and it didn't take him long to get "hooked on hockey". This past season has been so much fun to watch. With new coaching staff and new management, the "Bolts" are GOOD! We love having date nights at the Forum and rooting for the home team.

And now the Lightning are in the play-offs and they are awesome. On game nights, Lance and I set aside the entire night to don our Lightning shirts and watch the game on tv. Zoie and Tobin have even gotten into the fun. Zoie made signs that said- "GO LINING" with a lightning bolt drawn on them. Although, last week--the morning after a particularly exciting game, she gave me a lecture about not yelling so loud once they are asleep. Oops.

Lance and I definitely get a little carried away during the games. After we won a game with a very tense third period, Lance hefted me over his shoulder and ran around in circles, yelling.

The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference Finals starting this Saturday. GO BOLTS!

The Price of Comfort

Mother's Day is Sunday. I have had my eye on a few fairly inexpensive treats-- any one of which would make a perfect Mother's Day gift. For example:

I love this scent: This would be great for backyard tanning sessions:


I would love this in the kitchen for my Ipod:
And anything that involves a pedicure is always a hit:


What I did not imagine I would "receive" for Mother's Day is this:
Our air conditioner stopped working on us around 10 pm on Friday night. Around midnight a technician handed us a disproportionately large bill. But our home was cooling off and we wrote a ridiculously large check with a sigh of relief.

Then Monday evening, it began to feel uncomfortably warm in our (usually 71 degree) home. With dread, I looked at the thermostat and it said 78. Something was wrong. We finally got the same company to come back around 10 pm. They said it was unrelated to the issue just two days prior and told us that it would be another $1100 to fix it. We sent the guy packing-- (but not before paying the guy a giant diagnostic fee for his three minutes of work).

A full day later, we got the guy who had originally installed the unit (just a few years ago) to come fix it for a fraction of the cost of the other company. Nevertheless, it has been a hot and expensive weekend (that sounds way more exciting and exotic than it actually was).

I may sound bitter now, but it is 90 degrees outside and I am typing this from the comfort of my 71 degree home. Happy Mother's Day to me!

P.S.- some of my bitterness may be due to the fact that I have not had a Diet Coke or carbonated beverage of any kind since Saturday (4 days ago!) If this is not impressive to you, then you do not know me very well.