Does this make me the best mom, or the worst mom?

(These turned out waaay cute, so I had to post a pic, even at the risk of appearing show-offy. Here, I’ll offset any perceived boasting by declaring that my kitchen is a disaster.)

He was showing his pensive and moody side during our little photo-shoot (look at that pout!), but we all know what he’s really like. Ch-ch-check it!:

I was inspired by the concept of this:

A quilt made by Ryan’s late Grandma Jo.

The patches are so random. So funky (for lack of a better term). Sure I didn’t immediately fall in love with it the first time Ryan brought it out (for obvious reasons), but over the years since we’ve been married, I’ve become endeared to it; as a warm, cozy object, and as a source of inspiration as a designer.

So right now, my design mood is “borderline ugly.” I can’t help it. I’m just drawn to all things such. Maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by beauty (Ryan, Kai, and Dax) 24-7.

=)

I’m guilty. Not of eating two, three, or even four cookies, but probably close to ten. I was doomed to binge on my warm, delicious treats, being

sleep-deprived,
dairy-deprived,
and chocolate-deprived.

We will see what today brings with Dax—I may pay dearly for my overindulgence by having to deal with major colicky behavior and disrupted sleep.

But man those cookies were good!

It was just as messy as I thought it’d be and things got out of hand a couple of times (think: flour flying everywhere, sugar caked to the bottom of my feet, Kai cracking eggs when my back was turned) but a good time was still had. We weren’t making messes—we were making memories! Cheesy, I know, but you gotta love it.

Prepping the pan

Kai’s very first egg-beating experience. *Sniff!*

Bake me!

Eat me!

Yum!
(Though Kai does only tops.)

cilantro, basil, and parsley

Inspired by our rising grocery costs and Ryan’s response when I told him I was going to grow some herbs (“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Ryan-speak for “Yeah right.”), I thought I’d channel my inner Martha, buried deep somewhere between my inner Paris Hilton and inner Nicole Richie, and give container gardening a go.

I’m a survivor!

To put it bluntly, I very much suck at keeping a vase of flowers alive, let alone a garden. I’m really excited (when was the last time you were giddy leaving Lowe’s?), but my domestic skills go only so far. In the meantime, I’ll keep dreaming of this:

The Ultimate. Herb. Garden.

Both boys are asleep and Ryan is off at a friend’s house playing Guitar Hero. As for me, I got big plans for my evening in I tell ya, big plans.

To do:

1) Blog
2) Bake some carrot cupcakes
3) Watch La Vie en Rose. I love Netflix’s ‘Watch Instant’ feature. So cool.
4) Laundry. Don’t you hate it when your pillow gets peed on by a baby boy?
That incident almost got me in the eye!

This morning, Kai unwittingly downed a serving of steamed carrots I blended into his smoothie. I felt so…sneaky. So…smart!

Then at lunchtime, he had a few bites of steamed “trees” topped with…um, ketchup. But hey, he ate something green today (besides the typical cucumber) which is plenty enough to make this mama happy and get her blogging.

When it comes to food, I’m a food-snob purist, so as soon as I heard of the “Deceptively Delicious” concept, I thumbed my nose thinking I’m better than that. And that I’ll teach my children to eat fresh, healthy, delicious food by by offering it outright. None of this pureeing vegetables business! Except, yeah, my plan hasn’t been working. Which brings me to sneaking veggies in food, and dressing peas with barbecue sauce, and offering the sometimes well-received crudité.

So tell me, how do you get your kid(s) to eat veggies? Because I’m in need of fresh ideas and don’t want my child to develop some 19th century disease like rickets or scurvy.

I thought Kai would get a kick out of playing pretend ‘house’ for little animal figures or Thomas Trains or something, so I busted out my utility knife and ruler and got to work on an empty box.

But Kai, the visionary he is, saw a car wash instead…so we made it into one.

Now if I can figure out a way to replicate that giant, rotating brush, because my little guy keeps asking for “Around? Around?!”

And let me tell you, I had no idea this would be the toy du jour, but he played with it throughout the day. And even went to bed with it.

Whoa. I thought only girls got sassy.

Yesterday, Kai absolutely refused his dinner. Instead, he kept demanding “Nacks! Nacks” (snacks) which then escalated into “Tuh-ties! TUH-TIES!” (cookies). After my third “NO!” Kai promptly picked up his plate and dumped it in the trash.

Well, it’s Sunday, and I should be at church right now, but I was adamant about not waking Dax from his nap because Weissbluth instructs to “Protect the nap schedule! By all means, PROTECT THE NAP SCHEDULE!!!” (emphasis added for effect). And it’s so true what he says; the better babies sleep during the day, the better they sleep at night. Words of wisdom, indeed. It’s just too bad I can’t show off my hair today, which I think looks pretty fierce, and proves that I have other hairstyles besides ‘greasy ponytail’ and ’stringy hot mess.’

This look expires at 12 midnight, PST!

All dressied up but nowhere to go.

So the other day, I purchased Kai’s first size 3T shirt and it was a big deal for me. 3T. Size 3T!

I mean, can’t the manufacturers warm you up to the idea that your child is almost three by offering size 2 1/2 T, or 30 months? Seriously, what’s next? He’s going to go away on his mission, then he’s going to get married and leave his mommy forever? I hear that childhood goes by especially fast once they enter elementary school. You start ticking off their years by the grade they’re in, and *snap*, before you know it, they’re in junior high. Scary stuff. Okay, I’m thinking way too much about this, so moving on…

I set up an Etsy shop last night, just to spread out placement of our products and hopefully network with other crafty peeps. Only two items are listed so far, same merchandise that is available from our online store. But I do have some really cool projects in the works that will hopefully go up in the next month. I’ll post an update once they’re available (yes, I’m being secretive about what I’m working on).

Speaking of Etsy stores, visit our cousin Mandi’s new store featuring playful artwork for children’s rooms.

Peace out.

Mothering two seriously forces you to make some tough decisions.

- I got only forty-five mintues. Do I shower or nap?
- Kids are screaming. Do I use the bathroom or eat?
- That cookie looks delicious! Oh, but does it have dairy or chocolate? I could have a teeny bite, just a teeny bite that hopefully won’t affect Dax!

Don’t get me wrong, I love staying at home with my children. I just naively (stupidly?) thought it’d be a tad more glamorous and whole lot less dirty. Nor did I predict I’d be one of “those moms” that wear workout clothes all day because they don’t get a chance to shower until 8 pm. Agggghh!

Hmm, I’m sounding like I need another mom’s night out…

Having a penchant for pretty and quirky baby items, I usually get frustrated with what the stores have to offer for boys, so I’ve turned to either making things myself (which I’m usually too busy/tired/lazy to do) or good ol’ online shopping.

Anyways, just wanted to share some of my fave handmade items and support the talented moms behind them.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Conference Center

WOW, that was just amazing!

While we watched conference from home, Kai was hyperactive and attention-starved (to put it mildly), so it was difficult to get much out of the Saturday sessions and this morning’s session (despite a new collection of ‘play’ hats, coloring, block building, and a newly downloaded iTunes episode of Go, Diego, Go! to watch on the computer). We got to teach Kai a couple new phrases (“President Monson,” and “MOTAB,” which stands for MOrmon TABernacle Choir) and have him repeat it back to us, so that was cute. I’m just so glad I got to hear the afternoon remarks in peace while Kai napped.

Elder Holland’s message was awesome. Loved loved LOVED Elder Ballard’s talk aimed at all the young moms. President Monson was just hilarious.

Alright, I don’t have anything particularly poignant to share here, just that conference is great and I love this church. I can not wait for the transcripts to be available online. What a way to start the week, yeah?

So we’ve been blogging for over two years now, but as of late, I’ve been curious about all you out there. We’d be thrilled to know who visits our blog, so please—don’t be shy, click on the comments link after this post, fill out the couple fields, and say hi!

Else, I’ll use Google Analytics to track down yo sorry arse. (kidding…maybe…)

Chase away road rage and tune out screaming children with the ambient sound of the Shins’ ‘Sleeping Lessons.’