101 Things To Do...

...in your life together!

Target's Club Wedd recently posted this list on Facebook and I thought it was awesome. A nice little reminder to do something out of the ordinary once in a while with the love of your life.

1. Build a fort in your living room
2. Watch a black & white movie marathon
3. Do a home improvement project with your neighbor
4. Build a tree house in your backyard
5. Watch a meteor shower
6. Perform a duet in a record store
7. Play a practical joke on your partner
8. Make your own artisan cheese
9. Have a spa day at home
10. Have a food fight
11. Camp out for a concert
12. Walk everywhere for one day
13. Play a game of flag football
14. Throw a black tie dinner for two
15. Apply Feng Shui to your house
16. Perfect your guacamole-making skills
17. Mix your own signature cocktail
18. Make a mix CD for each other
19. Get lost on purpose
20. Map your family tree
21. Take dance lessons
22. Write a note to your future grandchildren
23. Go backyard bird watching
24. Kidnap him for a play date in the park
25. Go skydiving
26. Go on a health kick together
27. Book a trip and travel on the same day
28. Karaoke while you cook
29. Cook everything from A to Z
30. Pretend to film a cooking show in your kitchen
31. Pick her up in a limo on a Tuesday
32. Paint a ceiling in your house to resemble a famous mural
33. Camp out close to home
34. Treat her to breakfast in bed
35. Do something touristy in your hometown
36. Go skinny dipping
37. Surprise her with a clean house
38. Bury a time capsule in your backyard
39. Spend a week at sea
40. Set a world record in something
41. Learn 3 guitar chords and play a song
42. Spend a night in a haunted house together
43. Swim in the ocean with a large fish
44. Take her out for a date in your living room
45. Teach her how to build a fire
46. Cook something that you've grown with your own two hands
47. Brew your own wine or beer
48. Go on a hot air balloon ride
49. Build a house of cards and then run through it
50. Build something that will outlast you both
51. Take an extended nap in a mattress store
52. Have a pillow fight
53. Send handwritten notes to each other
54. Get your palms read
55. Volunteer at a soup kitchen over a holiday
56. Eat every dinner at the table for a week
57. Throw a dart at a map and eat a meal from that country
58. Fly a kite
59. Go white water rafting
60. Test drive a car you'll never be able to afford
61. Climb to the top of a mountain and yodel
62. Go bowling
63. Get tattoos
64. Learn how to surf together
65. Cook breakfast for dinner
66. Make your own pasta from scratch
67. Donate blood together
68. Learn a new language together
69. Host a croquet tournament in your backyard
70. Make a movie together
71. Watch the sunrise and sunset in the same day
72. Send a message in a bottle
73. Watch 26 movies in 26 days starting with each letter of the alphabet
74. Plan a poker party
75. Throw a party because its Tuesday
76. Dress up for Halloween when it is not Halloween
77. Carve your names into a tree
78. Take a road trip
79. Cultivate a bonsai tree
80. Go jogging in your pj's
81. Learn how to throw a knuckle ball
82. Go for a ride on a scary roller coaster
83. Build a giant snow fort
84. Pay for the next person in a drive thru
85. Go on a 24-hour cleanse
86. Bake cupcakes and give them to a neighbor
87. Put the iPod on shuffle and dance all night long
88. Cook a 5-star dinner in the great outdoors
89. Take a cooking class together
90. Go to the top of the tallest building in your city
91. Go out dressed 80's style
92. Play a game of H.O.R.S.E.
93. Switch sides of the bed
94. Take part in a rally for something you believe in
95. Put on a puppet show
96. Volunteer at an animal shelter
97. Plant an herb or vegetable garden
98. Build a birdhouse
99. Put together a giant jigsaw puzzle
100. Paint each other's self-portrait
101. Do yoga on the beach

Dan and I have done 58 of these in our 13 years together. How many can you check off the list?

Hearing Voices

I have been doing some thinking...about voices. Almost like having multiple personalities, I have multiple voices. This post started with a particularly 'off' day in our house when I caught myself...just before yelling at my four-year-old...walked into the garage, closed the door behind me, let out a garbled, grunty, screechy burst of frustration, took a deep breath, and re-entered my house. Dan and I strive to not be a 'yelling' house because really, where does yelling get you? We want our home to be a place where our kids feel safe and learn lessons in a constructive way. We aren't always successful, but we try.


Art by Anne Taintor. LOVE her stuff :)

Anyway, back to my voices. I was thinking about what voice my boys hear when I am frustrated since I don't often yell at them. And wondering if it is almost as bad? Almost like I have exchanged one for the other. They definitely know what that voice means. Once, Logan was quick to respond to THAT voice with, "Mama, have you had your coffee yet?" Which, thankfully, sent us both into a fit of giggles and lightened the mood.

So, upon further contemplation, I came up with my 'voices' on a scale of normal to elevated (somewhat similar to the national security terror alert chart):


Art by Anne Taintor

1. Silly/Playful Mama: 

This voice contains various sound effects including zerberts, roars, high pitched singing, giggles, grunts, and more. This voice reads stories & plays games. This voice is the one which most often brings out the twinkle in my childrens' eyes. This is the voice I strive to use at least once a day with each of them.

2. Normal Mama:

This voice is used most frequently. This voice asks, "How was your day?" "Can I get you some milk?" "Do you need to go potty?" "Will you please help me clean up?" This voice also says, "I'm proud of you" and "I love you".

3. THE Mama (accompanied by a certain look):
This is the warning voice. This voice means business. This voice says you need to stop what you are doing and listen...now. This voice is good for our kids. This voice sets boundaries and handles discipline.

4. Frustrated Mama:
The thing that bothers me most about this voice is when I hear my four-year-old making the same sound. I know frustration is a part of life and he is going to be frustrated probably every day...aren't we all? I guess I can take a small amount of pride in the fact that he grunts and says, "This toy is frustrating me" rather than throwing the toy, kicking the toy, or taking it out on the nearest human. Still, not proud of this particular piece that I have instilled in him.

5. Yelling Mama:
This is the voice that brings mommy guilt and shame. This voice is heard on very rare occasions and is inevitably followed by remorse and apology. Our kids deserve respect. And, I feel strongly that they deserve apologies from us from time to time, too.

6. Friend Mama:
I love this voice! This is the voice I use with my girlfriends. Pretty similar to Normal Mama, but laced with a ounce of fun...and sometimes 'spirits'. This is the voice that tells stories, listens to friends, jokes, quotes various pop culture. This voice is carefree...the voice that lets me be my girly self.

7. Sexy Mama:
This one is reserved for my husband. And, let's face it, is probably more comical than sexy. Usually includes something along the lines of "Hey baby...How you doin?" ...You can see where this is going.

So there they are. One I aspire to use more, one I hate myself for using, and everything in between. I would like to think that voices 1-3 are the ones heard most in my house, but have to admit that voice number 4 sneaks in on a daily basis.

Doing my best is the best I can do.

[New Year's Resolution] The Moments

Sarah already introduced this little tradition of mine in her 'Joy' post. Here's a little history. My first word was SIMPLIFY in 2009. I was newly pregnant with my second child and was rapidly feeling overwhelmed with 'stuff'. I had suffered a miscarriage the previous year (a heavy topic that can be discussed later, but important when explaining my reasons for picking a word). I felt like I needed order and something to focus on. Because of my experience, this pregnancy was filled with fear, stress, and worry. My desperation to remain positive and sane was palpable. Call it a major nesting phase, but I wanted all the 'junk' (physical and mental) gone. I wanted life to be clean and simple. I wanted our home to be clean and simple. I wanted to focus on having a healthy pregnancy and baby. It worked. I felt refreshed, organized, and prepared for the future when we brought healthy baby Carter home.

My word for 2010 was ENJOY. I had a 5 month old and a 3 year old and was EXHAUSTED. I felt it was important to remind myself on a daily basis (and by daily I am talking about being awake for 24 hour periods at a time with a baby who didn't want to sleep) that no matter how tired I was, I wanted to look back on these baby days with great memories and joy. I had to think about my word a lot. I had to force the word into my mind at times. I had to talk to Sarah about my word on occasion. It worked. I let the little things go. I took it all in and tried to remember that in Sarah's words "I would sleep again".

A holiday 'moment' at Snowflake Lane.

I like this method because it feels like less pressure than a resolution. It is something you can carry with you throughout the entire year. And, I like that it is a journey. Where will my word take me? What will it help me through? What will I learn along the way?

This year, it seems as though my word has picked me. I've been thinking about it since November and all through December I kept telling myself to savor everything. That the pure joy my children were exuding over the 'small stuff' was a gift. That they will NEVER be these ages at Christmastime again. That the focus should be on my family, not on the lines...and gift buying...and stress. I chose things like fingerpainting Santa pictures rather than unloading the dishwasher and guess what? We had FUN. And guess what else? Everything still got done.

I decided to carry that feeling over into the new year.
My word for 2011 is:

moment

as in...
enjoy it
seize it
recognize it
capture it
preserve it
make the most of it
relish in it
be confident in it
and

LOVE each moment that we have together.

The Soap Sliver & the Toilet Seat

LITERALLY...that's what I'm writing about today. Coming at ya from the bathroom (not literally) with some non-Christmassy items in the form of a household peeve and a fantastic buy.



My husband has a weird habit...
Whenever the bar of soap goes just past the two-thirds-finished mark, he is compelled to open a new bar. However, he is NOT a wasteful person, mind you.

The small sliver stays.

And who do you think is responsible for finishing it? Me! Oh wait, it gets better, I get the lovely duty of finishing it because I am 'little'.

I never get to use a new bar because I am constantly finishing the sliver. GRRR! This may sound silly to you...you are probably a person who gets to use a large bar of soap! (I do realize I could use the big bar and throw the little one away, but I am not wasteful either.) So, it is what it is...just thought I'd share one of those little idiosyncrasies in our house.



AND now for the the toilet seat that has changed our lives :)

Bemis Next Step Toilet Seat

(Price: Anywhere from $30-50)

Another option:

Kohler Transitions Toilet Seat

(Price: around $50)

This thing is awesome. It has a smaller toilet seat that sticks magnetically to the toilet lid. You just pull it down and, suddenly, a toilet fit for a small child. I highly recommend this for any family with small bootys running about. Logan has been potty trained for nine months and this seat saved our small downstairs guest bathroom from the portable potty chair that took up a lot of space far earlier than I expected. Logan loves that he has a smaller seat within the toilet lid. And, it isn't only for potty-training. Just helps the little guys to not fall in!

PS: I've actually used it on accident before and felt pleasantly surprised (and carried that feeling around all day) that my booty was 'small' enough to use it.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Last night, Dan and I went to a concert...on a Wednesday...with no kids...

Funny thing is, while having a beer before the concert, we realized that in 12 years this is the first one we've been to together. We have VERY different taste in music. Dan is the stereotypical Seattle grunge music fan (in high school in the Pacific Northwest in the 90's...I guess this fits) with some classic rock thrown in on the side. I prefer country, pop, 80's, and 70's soft rock. Give me Hall & Oates or Carole King and I'm a happy girl.

In most cases, our personal music choices are to be played in our own cars without subjecting the other party to complete misery. Sometimes, on LONG roadtrips, we tolerate the other person's selections.

I digress, the concert of choice last night: Stone Temple Pilots. We were offered tickets and Dan was as giddy as our three-year-old on Christmas morning so I went. Hey...anything for a date with my husband, right? We went with another couple and as we walked in and I started people watching, as I always do, I kept hearing a classic Sesame Street song in my head..."One of these things is NOT like the others...One of these things just doesn't belong!"

In the end, it was a blast. I recognized more songs than I expected to. I stood my short self in the middle of the general admission crowd for the duration, I danced a little, I thought the rockstar lead singer had some sexy moves, I held my husband's hand, and I thoroughly enjoyed the company of some new friends.

All-in-all, a successful evening! I highly recommend stepping out of your comfort zone for your spouse sometime in the near future!