OK Disney Channel, Make Sure They Eat Lunch and Nap is At One. I'll Be Back in an Hour.

Well, summertime is upon us. I am starting to experiencing the panic that my Mommy Friends Who Have Kids in School experience each summer when they realize they have kids they need to keep entertained. And while TV is a GREAT babysitter, it really isn't an option for EACH day of the week (maybe only 4 of them.)

I told Carol on Friday that I was going to sell the children, much like Kristen did but she offered a suggestion first. She said, "You need WATER." I gathered a few plastic pitchers, cups, straws (I like the big reusable ones from Starbucks) and a big bowl of ice cubes and sent my two outside where they proceeded to play "Lemonade" for OVER AN HOUR! (Leaving me to stare at my newly taken pregnancy test and wonder aloud what I had gotten myself into.) They poured water in the cups, drank it, spilled it, added ice, drew on the sidewalk and put the ice back in their cups (I pretended that part didn't happen) and they eventually threw the ice cubes at the fence to watch them split apart. It was SO great and the kids made a bit of a mess but it was easily wiped off AND it left me feeling like A Good Mommy.

So, creative thinkers UNITE! This is the place to list your creative, fun, cheap, and amazing summertime activities. We need to help each other out!

Ready.......go!!!

The One Where I Start Counting Down

10. Wait, I can't have Diet Dr. Pepper?

9. Or FETA? What about on my favorite salad? Siiiiiiigh.

8. I am so tired, I can' barely stay--zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

7. Oh I have to go shopping.

6. Ach-oo! Oh yeah, forgot what happens when I sneeze. Great.

5. Are you SURE there are two lines on that stick? There isn't a mistake?!

4. Ugh, anyone got any Rolaids?

3.I am wearing my skinny jeans EVERY DAY till I-ZzzzzZZ zzzzzz ZZZZZZZ zzzzzzzzz

2. I hope the "nesting" starts soon, my house is a mess.

1. Well, here we go! Baby Zab Number 3, arrives February 2008!!

Ruth Bell Graham

Ruth Bell Graham died today.
If there was EVER a wife you wanted to emulate, she was a woman who was strong but also supported her husband as an amazing partner.
The world will miss her but at least she is Home.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19210879/

The Next Picassos? Jackson Pollocks? Dogs Playing Poker?

A few weekends ago, I had all 3 kids with me and no husband in sight. So I filled our Saturday chock FULL of activities to make the time pass as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, David ended up staying home but that didn't mean the fun was going to slow down! Aunt Kristy came over and gave an art lesson in the fine art of finger painting. The twist on this standard pre-school activity? We painted the sliding glass door! This is something my mom used to do for us at Birthday Parties and it was perfect this day too! We painted and filled the window up, wiped it all down and started all over again! It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect and we had a TON of fun!

Anyone notice in that last picture how Lucy is now taller than Nick? when did THAT happen!?!?

Week of Joy (8 Hours Late)

10 Things that Brought Me Joy This Week (Join the fun!)

10. Date on Friday night with my sweetie. I thought I'd forgotten what he looks like. Know what? He is super cute!

 

9. I get to SING! With THIS MUSICAL GENIUS! If any of you are attending the Saddleback Worship Conference, look for me on stage Tuesday at 3! I think I might ask him if I can bring the shaker too, then I will be both a singer AND musician!

 

8. Thursday Family Dinner @ Denny's...we have been doing this every Thursday night for awhile now and I look forward to it so much! My family, my sister, my mom and my Gma...the kids get better behaved every week too, which is even cooler.

 

7. A GREAT sketch Sunday morning in church! Amy memorized her lines in only a handful of days (saving the day) and then she and Bob put on such a GREAT performance! Woo Hoo!!

 

6. DZ brought me yoooooooooogurt mill. Ahhh.

 

5. 3.5 miles on Tuesday night for training (have you skipped a cup of Starbucks to support me this week? Every little bit helps!)...on a treadmill away from the late night Tierrasanta crazies.

 

4. Having the treadmill tell me I did less than a 20 minute mile even though I haven't walked since last November!!

 

3. Lunch with my Sweet Samoo!

 

2. Pirates 3...

 

1. ...With THIS LADY

 

 

Pass the Secret Please.

I had to cold call some people today with the new job I have.

3 voice mails and 1 live person later I broke out in a flop sweat the minute I heard a live voice.

Now I have to go take a shower.

And I Never Gave Him a Kiss.

Bob Barker taped his last episode of "The Price is Right" today.
From what I read, it was a very special moment and he even took time to say some kind words to his last audience.

His last episode will air on June 15--you won't want to miss it.

I was one of many in my generation who always loved the guy on sick days home from school and then once he gave a serious beatdown to Happy Gilmore, I loved him even more. (Clip rated PG-13.)

As life went on and I got married and became a Very Serious Adult, my morning television watching fell to a minimum. However, once I had Nate the Great, I needed something to break up the Blues Clues haze I found myself occupying.

There it was, almost as if created for toddlers who love "A NEEEEW CAAAAAARRR!" All you'd have to do was turn it on and that sweet pickle shaped toddler body would jump around and dance and yell "Winner, Winner, Winner!" each time someone won. It would make his day!

When I was younger, my favorite game was the Check Game. But it was mostly because I thought writing checks was the COOLEST thing ever. (OK, fine, I still love to write checks.)

Currently, I am a fan of Plinko but since that doesn't count because EVERYone loves Plinko, I am going to say my favorite pricing game would have to be the Clock Game. Especially after Barney's recent appearance. The man knows how to play the game. (HIMYM Fans? Anyone?)

I have to state, for the record that I really really miss Rod Roddy announcing. But the new guy is OK. But I will NOT stand for the new person writing the SLOPPY SLOPPY NAME TAGS! Even if I had a picture of the shoddily written tags, I wouldn't post it. I will just say that to your right is what they SHOULD look like, OK?

I am very glad we got that cleared up.

So lets have a discussion.
Favorite Price is Right pricing game?

(If you can't remember the name of your favorite, click here for a complete list.)

Reason #472 To Stay Alive

Because if I die, THIS is what my kids will look like.

Bewildered, disheveled, inexplicably puffy and holding snowman tissues.
You gotta love it when Daddy is in charge. I also found out that he gave them Pop Tarts for breakfast. No wonder they didn't want me to come home!

In other news, I had a TON of fun this weekend with my girls. We laughed...a LOT. A WHOLE lot. And often it was in public and invited the stares of strangers to which we say: Bring it. Stare Away. You just wish you were us.

The road part was a ton of fun too. Carol and I listened to the music real loud, had the sunroof open and loved the feeling of the fresh air and wind swirling around in the car-WHAT. IS. THAT. SMELL!?

Let me look through my pictures to share. Hmmmm, not that one. Nope, that one is me mooning Liz via camera phone. That one has too much damning evidence in it. I guess I can show you this one. Its of me. And I am laughing. Emmy might recognize the laugh, she has a similar picture of me.

Oh! Here's another one I can show you...on the way home, at one of the border checkpoints we had this on our windshield...

See all the little spots? They are bugs. And right before I had to flash my pearly whites at the adorable Border Patrol men these bugs splatted on my windshield with such a force, it sounded like it was raining. And not even my extra strength, extra smelly windshield cleaner could get it off. Except for a little spot slightly to the right of where I could see so I if I drove while tilting to the right, I could see clearly. I bet the border patrol guys thought I was REALLY hot then!

We had some good tunes for the road and Carol even let me break out a little N*Sync (That's what I said!) for some serious car seat bootie shaking.

Because it's Friday night and I just (just, just, just, juuuuust) got PAID!