Returned I Have, Update I Shall

Crap - where have I been?

Well for starters, I drove into the blizzard of '08.

Having my fill of snow, I then headed for the blinding 80-plus degree weather of beautiful Austin, Texas for the glory that is SXSW.
While there, I stuffed my face. Everyday. All day long. I then proceeded to be dragged around town by my husband,



his bands,



and my good friend (and host) Jenni.




This resulted in a nasty, yet totally worth it mix of blisters, hangovers and sunburn.

It was the break I'd been asking for, I got to enjoy the company of those I never see anymore,






get my fill of live music (even if I had seen all the bands 20 times before),



almost had a Death proof moment (and instead got stuck with a Carson Daly one), and had the privledge to stay out late every night and sleep in every morning. It was just like the good old days.

Even the 26 combined hours of driving (there and back) were practically blissful, what with all the delicious gas station coffee and the endless supply of chocolate.



It feels good to be home though, to be with the boys again, being entertained non-stop by their never-ending tall-tales and voices that get more 'boy' by the minute. I'm relaxed, and have even showered the last 4 days in a row.

Life is good.



And it's march - the madness is settling in.....

NewsFlash.

Cash & Hayden are singing.

It may not seem like a big deal to you, but in case you don't remember, my kids were the ones who kept their faces completely covered throughout their entire preschool program. They don't even like to fake singing, and they'll let you know about it "We just don't like to do it mom."

But in the last week or two? Yeah, thats all changed. Mostly thanks to an unlucky little bumble bee. While they've always sung along with Elvis and entertained me with many repeated choruses of Viva Las Vegas, this is the first time they've come home singing something they learned in school.

So, wow, I guess they really do listen while they're there.

If you spend at least an hour with us these days, you can be pretty sure you'll hear The Bumblebee song, in some shape or form. Chances are they've changed the words to make it about about a potty instead, but hey, at least they're making the song their own.

Another Day, Another Snow

Hayden: See Mom! I TOLD you it would snow again!

I like it, like it 2.25.2006

hmmm. whats on the list this week, eh?

1. Rejecting my inner pack-rat. Terrified of becoming a hoarder, I've turned the house on its side and let all the extra stuff go. Documented proof is over at the MusicCityMoms. Get yourself a tan while basking in the glow of a closet with visible floors.

2. Return of Return of the Jedi.

Little is more entertaining than watching your children and their friends get into Star Wars for the very first time.

3. Jimmy Kimmel. Yes, I know, you've already seen it, and you were probably the one who told everybody about it. Or maybe you liked Sarah Silverman before eveybody else did. Whatever. I don't care. Anyone who can squeeze in cameos from Brad Pitt (with a tasty beard! yes!) Huey Lewis and Meatloaf, and even Josh Groban into one skit is pure comic genius.

4. I like fours.

5. And now for my Kurt fix - Did you know that Kurt Russell's first movie role as a child was in an Elvis movie? This just proves that my new infatuation was totally meant to be.

Preschool Vacation Budgeting 101

About a week ago, Cash asked me for about the 1587th time if we could go back to Disney World.
I've taken to trying to change up my answers every time they ask, so this time I decided to go with the truth:

c: Mommy, can we go back to Disney World tomorrow?

me: We can't, We have to have tickets.

c: How do we get tickets?

me: We need money.

c: How much moneys?

me: Hundreds.

c: Where do we get hundreds?

me: We have to make it and save it.

c: Mommy, we really need to go get a hundreds dollars so we can go back.

Since then he's quit asking.

Instead, he makes a point everyday of informing me of how badly we need 'a hundreds dollars'.

Oh, dear. I've created a monster.

I think I'm going to start myself a new list:

"Things I Said That I Didn't Expect Would Be Repeated By My Children"
Its pretty long already, anyway, because no, I certainly don't know better by now.