Givin' It Up for Lent. Yo.

Its the first official day of Lent and I'm really going all out this year if you didn't already notice. I mean. I'm pretty sure I managed to consume my body weight in sugar yesterday. It's safe to say I fufilled my Fat Tuesday duites with flying colors. Thank you IHOP. And Pillsbury. And whoever makes sprinkles.

I'm trying to get the kids in on the fun too. I tried to explain the whole idea of Ash Wednesday to them, and the results were priceless. They couldn't get past the ash part and to them ash=fire and fire=cool. So in short, Ash Wednesday is their new favorite holiday.

I grew up Catholic and while I don't always agree with some of their practices, I still love all the tradition and history and imagery that is Catholicism. Ah, such warm memories I have of many Ash Wednesdays past. Like sitting in class after mass in grade school trying to figure out whose ash smudge looked like what. Or how about that dreaded feeling of only getting to choose between eating fish or pizza on fridays until Easter? My sisters and I still laugh about writing on a rock in church every. single. year. that we'd try to be a little nicer to each other.

So in honor of my obviously rich and reverent childhood, I'm gonna give it up for Lent this year. I mean, I bringing Lent back. I'm totally gonna go all serious on Lent's you know what. Um.....yeah.

What I'm really trying to say is that I want to make decent effort this year to maybe make a real change. And I'm gonna use this blog to hold me accountable. It's either going to be awesome, amusing, entertaining, and educational, or I'm going to bore the heck out of you for forty days. And forty nights. Depending on when [or if] you regularly read this.

What I'm going to try and give up you ask?

Negativity.

I've got a nasty negative mindset I'd like to shake. I wouldn't say I'm pessimisitic, but I definitely have a bad habit of thinking the worst is going to happen before I buck up and realize the best might actually be what's right around the corner. I'd like for things the be the other way around. I'd like to think that might change my attitude for the better.

The hardest part about actively trying to make a change is taking the time to work on it everyday. Which is why I'm choosing to air it all out here. You know it's going to be fun. Just you wait. You'll laugh when you find out how angry I get when I stub my toe.

So here goes nothing. I even made a sign.



Yeah, I know. It's AWESOME.
[See? More positive already.]

Bringing the Fat in Fat Tuesday. Really.

You know what I did today? Practically spent the whole day at IHOP.

Because hello! It's also National Pancake Day.

A normal person probably would have gone once. Or maybe just gotten some pancakes to go.

But me?

I went twice. Once for brunch and once for supper. Once with out kids, once with. Once with hashbrowns, once with fake granola.

I managed to scarf down at least 6 pancakes, 4 glasses of water with 2 lemons, a side of hashbrowns and a few crumbs they were trying to pass off as granola. Because when Cash hears that it's Pancake Day, he orders granola & yogurt.

And as if that weren't enough sugar to make your teeth just roll right out of your mouth.....we went home and made a king cake.



I think we've got our bases covered as far as holidays that fall on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 go. Just call us festive.

And if I were you I'd make sure i hung around Hayden for the rest of the year. He's gonna have some good luck. Hope that means he remembers to save enough quarters to buy the King Cake next year.



By the way, I'm going all out for lent this year. I might even blog it. What am I giving up? You're just gonna have to wait until tomorrow.

FAV: what the heck

So what if its already Monday.



My kids sing this one. A lot. Yeah, I know, they sing everything. But who would have ever thought they'd fall in love with Dino?

Comcast, You've Been Dumped.

Well sorta. I did keep the internet. Because its so, you know, useful.

I downgraded our cable today [ or yesterday for that matter, by the time I got this posted]. That sounds so pretty doesn't it? Downgrading! It was totally romantic.

I'm weirdly excited about it, actually. Just think of the possibilities without Johnny Test and Ben Tennyson to slow me down? Seriously. I'm ok with it. As long as I don't focus too long on how much I'm gonna miss Mike Rowe.

Apparently, the downsize was perfect timing. On the way to school this morning Cash said to me "Mom, it's not fun when we come home from school."

What? It's not fun? No mom wants to hear she's no fun! I'll admit, at first I took this statement to heart. I was pretty sure he was referring to last week, where let's just say, I was not really myself. Between the new four-legged arrivals at our house, all their poop, the impending holiday, the cards that went with the impending holiday, and the fact that I worked out of the house everyday for the first time in 5 years, things got a little....out of place. I wouldn't say our routine got totally turned upside down, but it was definitely lying on its side. And acting totally unresponsive.

I asked him again about his statement. "You mean, I'm no fun?"

"No! I mean we don't do anything fun - we don't have time to before we have to go to bed" he repeated.

"Well it could be because we always end up watching TV when we get home, right? Maybe we could be doing something else? What kinds of things do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Some special thing."

Ok. Great. A special thing. Thanks for the clarification.That could be anything. An un-birthday party? A field trip to a volcano? Where to start? Where to go? What to do?

So as we leave behind Spongebob, Chowder, The Tennysons and The Movers, and start on our journey of time creatively spent, wish us a little luck, and uh, a lot of DVDs.

Hello, Netflix? It's Me, Emily.....

F.A.V. VDay

Originally, this week's video was going to be Willie Nelson, "You Were Always On My Mind". Because there's no greater wounded love song than that one, especially when Elvis belts it out. And with it being Valentine's day tomorrow and all, I just had to post one of my favorites.

But I couldn't find a version that appeased me, or one that could be embedded, or both. I just couldn't bear to throw up an awful version of the song, just for the sake of being able to do so. I even briefly considered one video of him singing it with Bon Jovi. But it was awful. Bon Jovi butchered it, and you know that's saying a lot coming from a die hard Jovi fan. And besides, Jon was wearing this horrific hat that looked like he'd picked it up at Target ten minutes before the show. I figured that version should probably just continue on living in obscurity without me.

Somehow, between my over-analyzing and under-searching, I ended up at this video. As soon as I saw Joe hobbling across the stage, followed by Leon Russell, and Leon Russell's hat, I knew it was the one. It was love at first sight, even though I've heard it a million times over [thank you, Kevin Arnold.].

And so.....without further ado.....happy valentines day.



[hello? obviously NOT woodstock. Everybody has clothes on.]

Oh Yes We Did.

If you must know, I must tell you.

My family's gotten bigger. Like, way bigger, ya'll.

As of last Sunday?

We added two more to our burgeoning brood.Two more of the FOUR legged variety.

Because you know, why potty train one dog when you can just train two? Why get nibbled to death by just one puppy when it could be so much more blissfully painful with two? Why settle for just one pile of poop when you could have 12? Or more! Why worry about an overload of human toys when you could just increase the fun by throwing in a whole gaggle of dog toys? Why get one tiny dog when you can get two [soon-to-be] giant labradors? And heck. why live with 3 males when you can live with 5?

Seriously people. there's a sort of theme showing up in my life. Something to the effect of "Why take the easy road, when you're on the most difficult one already?" I don't know simple. I've never met uncomplicated. And I missed my chance to shake hands with convenient a long time ago.

So if you haven't heard from me, please. accept my sincere apologies. I've been a bit busy. You know. Trying to save my shirts, pants, shoes and ponytail [yes the hair on my head] from an early death by nibbilation.

So, with out further ado, introduce yourself to the newest Hartleys, Boss & King.

I'm sure you'll NEVER guess how we came up with those names...

F.A.V. You Got Lucky

Today, I wore all my hair up in a modified banana clip.

I frequently used the phrases "Use your words", "Hands to yourself" and "Voices off".

I came home in the afternoon and put on a sweater.

And I spent all night last night swimming in glitter making these for today's winter carnival at the boy's school....





I'm pretty sure my transformation into full-blown mom is complete, sans the jeans.

Lets just say when my kids got stuck with me, they got lucky.
[I'd click that link if I were you. Its Tom Petty gone sci-fi! You'll be sorry if you miss it. Really sorry.]

A Little Bathtime Perspective

I came over here ready to rant on bathtime.

I loathe bathtime. It's my least favorite mother/child activity. If I could hire a nanny to come to my house every night just to give my kids a bath, I would. It is the only time I ever wish my kids would just grow up and take a dang shower already.

But on my way over here I stopped by Suburban Turmoil. She had posted a short post about a reader and fellow blogger who had just lost her infant son a few days before his due date.

Suddenly my rant seemed so trite and trivial, so unnecessary. How blessed am I to even have the chance to bathe my children? To be able to hug them afterwards and sniff that sweet after-bath smell, to be able to wake up the next morning and do it all over again...day after day. It doesn't matter if it seems mundane or routine, what matters is that I get the chance to even do it at all.

I don't usually post things like this, but I felt I couldn't read her story, say my prayer and move on. I needed to share it. I needed the perspective it gave me. My stumbling upon her story seemed more to me than just a click or a coincidence.

I simply can't imagine the pain and heartbreak of losing a child before I barely even had the chance to meet him. My heart and my prayers go out to Cynthiaa and her family. Hug your kids just a little tighter tonight, try to stop and enjoy the fact that your kids are driving you nuts, revel in how blessed you are to be in that moment.



If you'd like, you can leave your thoughts and prayers for Cynthiaa on her blog here.