These days you gotta be smarter than your smartphone

And apparently I am not. So we got new phones. The first set was the new Blackberry Pearl Flip. We didn't like the keyboard so we decided to go for the whole shebang and get the Blackberry Curve. At first we liked them. They have a full qwerty keyboard with ONE letter per key. They are Internet capable, have a nice camera, good call quality etc. However, after a couple days playing around with them we noticed a couple things we weren't so hot about. First, the battery life sucks. We had to plug them in every night! I guess if you're used to this it's no big deal, but we were used to plugging in our phones every few days, and to have the battery start to drain after a single call was disappointing. Next, and here's the biggie, we could barely figure out how to make a phone call, let alone texting and taking photos. Don't even get me started on trying to figure out how to change the ring tone. These phones are like a little computer you have never heard of before. They are so complicated, they actually offer a CLASS so you can learn how to use them. I have not felt this stupid in a VERY long time. I consider myself a relatively intelligent person, not a genius, but certainly able to keep up with most. I found myself saying, "Remember when you could just pick up the phone and call someone by dialing numbers? Remember when texting just involved typing?" Now I am scrolling, highlighting, selecting, answering little prompt questions....getting lost in the layer after layer of menus trying to find the stupid "profile" button so I can turn the darn thing off vibrate...but I digress.
So, after the last three days of blundering around and feeling like a total idiot, I give up. I don't need Internet access from my phone. I don't need yet another way to check my email. I don't "tweet." I don't want fifty different ways to contact every person I know. I just want to make a call now and then. So, once again, I am off to the post office to send the smart phones back in return for...a dumber phone? Maybe. Or at least one that doesn't have me wishing for the days of rotary dials and cords again.

Good Job Honey!

Ryan: "Mom, can you put my pants on?"
Me: "Why are your pants off honey?"
Nothing.
Me: "Honey, did you go potty?"
Ryan: "Yes!" Big smile on his face.
Me: "Good job honey. Where did you potty?" Knowing full well I did not hear him in the bathroom.
Ryan: "Outside!" Even bigger smile.
Me: "On the deck outside or in the grass?" Please be on the grass...please be on the grass....
Ryan: "On the grass."
Me: "Good Job Honey!" Sweet. Now I don't have to go clean the deck.

To pack, or not to pack. That is the question...

Man, another day closer to the big move back to Canby and I cannot seem to get together enough motivation to vacuum, let alone pack another box. I am at that point where every room is half done so it looks like I have made quite a bit of progress, however, the "miscellaneous" stuff is still hanging around and in reality would take FOREVER if I left it to the last minute. So maybe I will just play around on the blog. I am working for posterity. I think this is what my dad calls "creative avoidance." O well. At least I am being creative at something.

Question of the day

Mommy, "Honey, did you pee down the heater vent?"
Ryan, "Yes!"

Great. At least we're moving.

Went to my parents house last weekend

Ahhhh! The rest, the food, the movie on the big screen downstairs, the sleeping in, and oh yeah, the photo lesson. Although I technically went there for the photo lesson, the other stuff was so great I think I might have to make a regular retreat out of it. (like how I invite myself Dad n' Mo?)

It was a great weekend for rest and very productive too. I went to Ana Cross Stitch who is carrying my stitch markers, met the ladies there and updated my inventory. Dad gave me the short and sweet for taking great photos of my product. Mo gave me a tripod. We ordered a light box to make a little table top photo studio. I am so official. I can't wait for it to get here.

All the while Jason, husband extraordinaire, was home taking care of Ryan and Sam. I think my favorite line of the weekend came from Jason as I was driving home. It went something like this:

"So you're on your way home?"

"Yeah"

"Ya know how I always say I haven't done anything around the house, but I really have and I surprise you?"

"Yeah...."

"Well, just to warn you. This time I REALLY haven't done anything!"

Hee hee. I love it when he gets a taste of my daily life. I become SO COOL in his eyes!

Originally posted on webs.com on January 28, 2009

You know it was bound to happen eventually

While I am cooking dinner tonight I look over at Ryan standing in the kitchen next to Sam's water dish. (can you already see where this is going?) He is enthusiastically and happily swishing water around in his mouth. Not seeing his sippy cup anywhere, I ask him, "Honey, did you drink out of Sam's water bowl?" And, of course, his reply, a vigorous head nod, still swishing. And as fast as I was in turning to get a towel and lean over for him to spit out the water, he swallowed and smiled at me. What do you do? Luckily for me I am pretty much over the "germaphobia" I suffered from in college, and so I just kept cooking dinner. Probably won't be the last time...

Originally posted on webs.com on January 21, 2009

Funny Friday

Right now all three of us are wearing Santa hats because Ryan wants us to. Also, the pointy end with the ball on the end HAS to be facing back, apparantly. He is so funny. This is also an indictment of me since it is clearly not Christmas time anymore and all my decorations are still piled in the front room waiting for inspiration to be put away.

Another funny thing for today, well starting yesterday actually. I can't remember what I said, but Ryan thought it was funny and he said, "Thank you funny Mommy." And he has been saying it ever since. All day today when I get something for him, hand him something, or do something he wanted he says, "Thank you funny Mommy." Also thrown in there a couple times were, "thank you my funny."

He just cracks me up. I wonder how long this will last? As all cute things they do, I am sure it will pass soon and except for this blog, be forgotten. Another Mommy Bombeck for posterity.

Originally posted on webs.com on January 16, 2009

Kids take things literally

On Saturday I went over to a girlfriends house to do one of my favorite things...organize! We spent the day laughing, working, cleaning and in general bringing order to chaos. I loved it. She even had a label maker! If only we'd had color coded rubbermaid tubs...

At lunch time we were eating burgers that her sweet husband got for us and my friend was reminding her kiddos to gather up their library books for return. Her youngest explained that he couldn't find his book. My friend said that if he didn't find the book they would have to pay for the book and so he'd better look harder. I think someone at the table maybe mentioned that you get in trouble if you don't return library books. Then my moment to shine...I chime in, "Yeah and they send the LBI's after you, the library bureau of investigators, and if you don't hand over the book, they send you to library jail." (Ok, so I'm an idiot, I know! But I thought it was funny) Her son didn't respond much and the conversation drifted to other things.

Later on in the afternoon as we were finishing up, he comes into the bedroom with a very concerned look on his face. "What's up?" my friend asks. Her son barely gets out "I can't find it Mom! I've looked everywhere! I DON'T WANT TO GO TO JAIL!!!" And bursts into tears!

Needless to say, I felt like a total schmuck. I must remember this for later on. Kids take things so literally!

Originally posted on webs.com on January 11, 2009

If you can't laugh at yourself...Or Chicken Adobo

So tonight I am all proud of myself because I am making a new recipe. (Trying desperately to get in the groove of cooking at least 4 nights a week) I am making Chicken Adobo, which I have never heard of and have never eaten. It's basically chicken cooked in a sauce of garlic, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, a bay leaf and some pepper. I am super smug as Jason walks in the door and says, "Wow that smells good. What is it?" I reply casually like I've cooked it a thousand times and it's old hat, "Chicken Adobo." He says, "Huh, I didn't know you knew any Philipino recipes. An old Philipino friend of mine used to make that all the time. Cool." Stopped short in my basting I think to myself "That's weird," because this whole time I was thinking this was a mexican dish. Then it hits me.

Originally posted on webs.com on January 9, 2009

My first blog. Ever

Mo says I have a knack for telling funny family stories and that I should write them down. She calls me "Mommy Bombeck" like Erma Bombeck (sp?). Since I don't know Erma or her writing I just trust Mo when she tells me that she was super funny.

So when I found this website and saw that I could post pictures and blog stuff I thought this might be a good way to get down my Mommy Bombeck stories. Of course I don't have any off the top of my head now. Probably because my head is full of my bed calling me for a nap, so maybe another time. It is enough to say for now that, soon, the good, the bad, and the ugly will be typed for all to read. Maybe it will be theraputic. Maybe it will bore people. I don't care. I just like doing something other than dishes, laundry and diapers for a few minutes of my day.

Originally posted on webs.com on January 9, 2009